4:3 The Luck of the Irish: Dempsey and Makepeace
by haveunotthought
Summary: With both Dempsey and Makepeace certain they wish to date the only hurdles left are their uncertainties of what each other feel and the circumstances they encounter
1. Chapter 1

It was now 10.30am "Hey Chas - you booked that hotel yet?" shouted Dempsey as he juggled two phone calls, one booking a flight the other as to why he and Sgt Makepeace weren't yet in court as they were due to be called soon.

"Um not yet – what name do you want it booking in?" asked Chas

"Dempsey"

"Mr and Mrs?" Chas knew their undercover habits

"Naturally" Dempsey replied to Chas whilst trying to reassure the court officer that they were on their way.

Dave looked up - he had several bets on with other SI10 staff and was interested in collecting his winnings.

"It's the easiest under cover to do" Makepeace was sitting opposite typing up a report but she half answered the question he didn't dare verbalise

"Any idea which one?" Chas questioned again. Dempsey thought he may as well do it himself but he and Harry were due in court in half an hour and should have left by now. "Any 5 star"

Dave gulped, he whispered to Fry "We would never get away with that"

"And make sure you book the Honeymoon Suite! Hey Harry we should be gone"

Harry picked up her jacket and handbag and moved towards the door with Dempsey

"The Honeymoon suite?" even Chas was taken aback

"So we can sleep together" clarified Makepeace before she closed the door behind her.

Dempsey looked at her "Well that was an interesting statement"

Makepeace coloured up, "O my God"

"You know I think you've just given totally the wrong impression to a room full of guys back there. Not that I mind if we do" He looked at the semitransparent blouse she was wearing and contemplated what he couldn't quite see.

Makepeace turned to go back in, but Dempsey grabbed her. "I wouldn't go in there now" He could imagine the money changing hands "besides we'll be late for court"

The court case looked like it was going well; Dempsey and Makepeace gave their evidence and returned to the office, buoyed up with the likely hood of a good result.

They were discussing the tail they were following to Ireland, Dempsey's grandfather was Irish and an Irish tour and a little family history research made a perfect cover.

"You know we really will have to find and follow Patrick Tierney, we can't just do the tourist route" Makepeace was speaking as they re entered the office, having completely forgotten their interesting exit.

To an ever curious Fry and Watson the conversation seemed to have barely dropped a level since they had left. The silence that fell was deathly and Harry instantly recalled her parting statement and blushed. She made her way to get a coffee more for something to do than the need of a drink, and then Spikings saved the day

"If that's Burton and Taylor send them in Chas"

Makepeace shut the door behind her, quite aware that if the boss was going to shout it would have very little effect, but at least they would be out of sight of prying eyes.

Spikings rose to full stature "Believe it or not this department has a finite budget, and Dempsey, it is not going to finance a 'jolly' for you and Sergeant Makepeace in Ireland. If you want a holiday you need to take leave, and you need to book that in advance with me – do you understand?"

"Yep"

"So" Spikings focused his eyes in a narrowing way on the barely visable space between where Dempsey and Makepeace were standing as he growled

"So what?" goaded Dempsey, much to Harry's frustration, she wondered if he ever read a situation

"So what is with the honeymoon suite in a 5 star hotel? – and I do not want to hear the story that has been flying round out there!!" Spikings hand reached up towards his head as he spoke.

"Chief" Dempsey started and Makepeace wanted to bury herself, why the hell did he inflame him even more, bloody idiot, she thought as Dempsey continued "- if you book twin beds it don't look real.."

"You don't need the most expensive room in Ireland" Spikings pointed out

"If you take a regular room you have to give the bed to the dame, then you need to sleep on the couch but 'oh dear' the regular room doesn't have a couch, so you sleep in a chair and that ain't too comfy and the second night you can't sleep at all so you sleep in turns!" Dempsey paused for breath, Makepeace hoped that everyone outside was listening. He continued "The honeymoon suite a) is big so it always has a couch and b) has a king size bed so you can both sleep on it with space so one way or the other you can both sleep at the same time or as Harry put it 'together'!"

Spikings rubbed his head, and then threw down a copy of the hotel booking details for the honeymoon suite at the Park Royal Hotel in Dublin.

Outside Chas demanded the return of his £20 bet in hand gestures

Dempsey picked up the hotel details, and passed them to Makepeace.

"Can we go now Sir?" Harry was still quite pink!

"I want a result – remember that" Spikings waved his pointing finger

Harry left Spikings office and moved to the door of the main office. Chas came in and handed Dempsey more paper work.

"Thanks" Dempsey took the papers and left Spikings office. "And she uses the entire duvet" he quipped as he left.

"WHAT?" the words grazed Spikings ears "Did I just hear that Chas?"

"I didn't hear anything sir" Chas forlornly hoped the others didn't ~ he was about to lose his money for a second time in one day.

Harry jumped on Dempsey verbally "Who's misleading the jury now?"

"I know" Dempsey grinned "fun isn't it – there's more money changed hands in there today than in the last year" Harry look horrified.

They spent the next hour checking all their documentation on Patrick Tierney, and his associates. The Irish police were working with them and would produce any warrant papers etc, but they needed to know the project wouldn't fail at court because of paper work. This frustrated Dempsey immensely and he just paced around, drinking more coffee and putting his feet on Makepeace's desk as she filed everything. Spikings came out from his office.

"Inspector O'Malley has just been on the phone, he expects you both at 7.30am tomorrow morning. Your cover is sorted I assume."

"Yeh look the wife is busy and I'm drinking coffee." Harry glared angrily. Dempsey continued "Just like any married couple" He shrugged his shoulders.

Spikings glanced at Makepeace, "Dempsey has some Irish roots and we are investigating his family tree, we can have cause to do that in any county we need to follow Tierney to Sir." She laced her voice with sugar

"I need you to work as a team, remember you are there on behalf of our government not on a free holiday courtesy of her majesty." Spikings glanced from one to the other as he spoke

"Sir" Harry acknowledged

"And Dempsey" Spikings let his gaze fall on Dempsey's left side "please don't shoot anybody, it might start another civil war out there"


	2. Chapter 2

**1st of 2 posts today**

They flew into Dublin; Makepeace went to wait for the luggage whilst Dempsey went to the car hire.

Makepeace came out of the building and saw him sitting on a Porsche Carrera 911. "Is that the only car they had?"

"No, but it was the sexiest." Dempsey grinned widely, he had a plan.

"Spikings will kill us" she tried to look serious

"It will be worth it" He put the bags in the back, "Jump in" he invited Harry into the passenger seat

She looked at him, "Ah no! Great car, I'll drive"

"You don't know where to go"

"That's OK you can map read." Harry smirked

Dempsey had the keys in his hand so he just sat in the driver's seat and put the map on the passenger seat "We'll get lost that way"

Harry sighed, agreed sat next to him and opened the map.

They booked in and were escorted to their suite.

Dempsey looked anxiously at his watch.

"What's the problem?"

"It's getting late"

"It's 7.20"  
"I know"

"Don't tell me..." Harry jumped to 15 conclusions at once, none of which were anywhere near the mark.

Dempsey threw down two tickets for the theatre, "You think you can get ready kinda quick?" he asked.

Harry smiled, she had packed a couple of evening dresses not knowing what undercover they might find themselves involved in. She chose the simpler of the two and as she dressed she tried to figure if this was just part of the undercover or something else? Robert, Matthew, William, Edward – with any other guy this would be a date and she knew it. She just didn't know what this was.

Dempsey changed his shirt content that his plan was thus far running smoothly, his eyes lit up when he saw Harry dressed in a simple dress with black and silver sequins. He remembered when he had seen it before – back at Winfield hall the first time he had been there and he was transported back to the evening just two days earlier when he and Harry had danced at the annual ball there.

"Dempsey" Harry called his attention.

He smiled appreciatively, looking from her eyes to her lips to the curves of her body. He took her arm, "Shall we go Mrs Dempsey?" he whispered in her ear, and Harry blushed as she felt the tingle of excitement run through her.

 They found somewhere for dinner after the theatre. Dempsey felt they trip was going well, nevertheless he found times when he felt confused about his relationship with Harry.

He always held by his statement that work and emotion don't mix yet he found himself inextricably drawn to Harry. He loved her company, that he could make her laugh so easily, her tastes, her friends, her body, her smell... and he just couldn't stop touching her. He noticed that she accepted every contact; it had been months since she had flinched away and he really felt a strong hope that she reciprocated at least some of his affections. He loved her hair, his fingers running through it and as he looked at her now across the dinner table he so wanted to hold her close and bury his hand into her hair and smell her scent rising through it before he would kiss her ear and cheek and lips – god he so wanted to kiss her lips and to tell her that she was the one, the one for him. 

When Harry had suggested the married couple angle he had decided to make it as real and romantic a date as possible and see what happened.

But if they got together how would they work together? What would happen if it went wrong? Those fears had hung heavy for months and on the occasions when he had been so near to kissing her it was that anxiety which had stopped him.

But now he had a bigger dread: what would happen if he missed his chance? 'You gotta take your opportunity' he told himself. He really didn't want to die with the music still in him.

With that in mind once they had eaten Dempsey suggested cocktails in the Hotel Bar but Harry insisted they read through the notes for tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**2nd of two posts today**

Back in their suite Harry said she would have a shower. Dempsey looked confused "I thought you said we had to read the case notes."

"Sure, but I'm going to put something a little more comfortable on."

"I like the dress" Dempsey remarked.

"You make a start on the notes" Harry instructed feeling his gaze wandering over her body, it made her smile – she really liked it but she turned away so as not to let him see. She was starting to wonder how the room sharing thing would go.

Harry came back to where Dempsey was reading. She had showered and put on her pyjamas; her nightwear had been the difficult decision - eventually she had decided on pyjamas rather than a night dress, but settled on silk rather than cotton. A bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice, along side two glasses.  
Dempsey looked into her eyes, she looked back, his eyes pierced her heart and it skipped a few beats.  
"Spikings will go through our expenses you know" she pointed out desperately trying to hold down any tinge of pleasure in her voice

"I know - it's worth it" Dempsey noted the harsh reply. This was one of the reasons he could never successfully work out where they stood, he considered his plan possibly thwarted but refused to give up hope – the music needed out!

Harry poured the champagne, passed a glass to Dempsey who was reading some complex list of networks and curled herself into the corner of the sofa. She too picked up some papers. Dempsey looked up at her and wished this was real not make believe. She smiled. "This is the perfect way to work" she looked into his eyes, "good entertainment, good food, fine champagne and," she winked, "excellent company."

Dempsey looked at the papers in his hand but his mind was tussling a far greater battle – the push and pull of DS Makepeace! What was real? The push or the pull? How was a guy supposed to work it out? He turned back to the business in hand.  
An hour and a half later they were both too tired to concentrate any more. "Let's go to bed." Harry suggested

"I thought you would never ask" Dempsey moved towards her

"I'm not" Harry laughed to herself, and looked to see if she could read his eyes

"But you said" Dempsey put on his big mournful eyes

"That was a statement of fact"

"I'm happy with that" he grinned, he didn't expect to get anywhere but it was great fun and the thing with Harry was that these days you never knew…

Harry smirked "No – you mis-interpret what I say: - I seem to recall that you explained to Spikings that booking the honeymoon suite meant that you could guarantee a sofa to sleep on." She jumped off it and grinned. "All yours, I'm going to bed."

Half an hour later Dempsey had showered, slipped on some pyjama trousers and taken the pillows from the bed. He wandered around looking for a spare blanket but there seemed to be none. Harry watched him; he opened his case and pulled out a jumper.

"What are you doing?"

"There ain't no blankets, I'll get cold".

She looked at the king size bed, put down her novel she was reading and relented

"You can have that side, so long as you stay well over there" she said.

She arranged her two pillows down the centre of the bed and watched Dempsey walk around the bed to the left. Dempsey threw both of his pillows back to the bed head and Harry tilted her head in question.

He looked deliberately blank and sat on the side of the bed waiting to see what Makepeace would do. Harry leaned across and took a pillow for her own head.

"Hey that's mine!" Dempsey protested

"You've still got one"

"Now I like two pillows Sergeant, if I don't have two pillows I can't sleep and I move _all over the bed_" he threatened - his eyes roaming

"Rubbish" Harry replied "You only get one pillow on my sofa"

"But there's cushions" he countered lifting the first pillow that divided the bed and lay on the bed resting his head into the pillows before sitting back up again declaring that he needed three pillows.

Harry grabbed the other pillow, deciding in an instant that as Dempsey would engineer anything to move the other pillow she may as well claim it back for herself.

Dempsey grinned and turned off the light and got into the bed.

He turned on his side to look at Harry, and then he moved

"Stay over there" she tried to sound strict

Dempsey ignored her and leaned across to kiss her forehead. "Good night Mrs Dempsey" he said.

Harry grinned to herself as Dempsey moved back to his side of the bed. He turned his back on her; it was the only way he could cope! He was still uncertain as to what to think, wishing he could be certain of her feelings; one moment she was encouraging him, the next ten pushing him back.  Harry held firmly onto the edge, she couldn't trust herself not to move across, but she fell asleep dreaming happily.


	4. Chapter 4

The phone rang at 6.00am. Dempsey reached out to answer it but it wasn't near him. He threw the covers off and walked over to answer the courtesy alarm call. As he put the phone down he looked at Harry waking in the bed.

"Morning babe" he sounded disgustingly bright Harry thought. "You want breakfast?"

"Coffee" Makepeace stretched wondering why she felt so tense then relised she'd spent the whole night holding tight to the bed edge.

"Up here or downstairs?" asked Dempsey as he slipped a shirt on.

"Anywhere" she sat up and looked at him "You're exceptionally cheerful this morning" they may not have shared many hotel beds but Dempsey often slept on her sofa after a late night and she was quite used to the sight of him wandering around with just a towel slung round his hips, eating toast and drinking coffee.

"We slept together" his eyes danced

"We slept in the same bed" she pointed out

"Still felt good to me" he couldn't stop grinning

'And me' thought Harry "Breakfast downstairs" she decided would be far more prudent.

At 7.30 they pulled into the local factory. Inspector O'Malley glanced out of the window; he noticed the Porsche and did a double take. He wasn't impressed.

"DS Makepeace and Lieutenant Dempsey here to see Inspector O'Malley" Harry introduced themselves and they were showed to the second floor office. They discussed their needs with Inspector O'Malley and he offered them a desk, computer and DC Quinn available to research for them.

At the same time they were introduced to the rest of the office. Half an hour later the door opened and a tall curvy police woman with short dark wavy hair came in. Dempsey walked over to her and introduced himself, and when Makepeace coughed, her as well.

The woman introduced herself as Clarissa Sullivan, also a sergeant. She walked back and forth across the office, Makepeace thought to get one paperclip at a time. If it was designed to attract Dempsey's eye it worked; when he eventually stopped looking through the Irish photo file and watched her she brought him a coffee over and started to flirt. Makepeace was furious. Clarissa noticed that also; "How come they allow married couples to work together in the Met? Over here if you're married you're on different teams"

Dempsey smiled "Oh we ain't really married – that's just the undercover bit"

Makepeace felt that gut wrenching thud in her stomach - so much for this role meaning anything else. At times like this she failed to understand Dempsey and the only way she could cope was to dig deep into work, she asked DC Quinn about the men on a couple of photos. He told her about their past records, drug use and where they could usually be found. Makepeace asked Dempsey for the car keys.

Clarissa spoke up "Hey is that your Porsche?"

"Yeh, sexy don't you think?" Dempsey asked her.

Clarissa suddenly 'remembered' all the background reading she had done and volunteered to show Dempsey where to find a lead.

Makepeace gave up at that point, "May be you could show me Quinn, if you have an unmarked car that is?"

"No problem" Quinn was chuffed to bits; he reminded Harry of Fry.

Makepeace and Quinn had a successful morning and went back to the offices. Dempsey and Clarissa were still out, Harry suspected they were holed up in a pub somewhere, she was right.

When they eventually came back Dempsey was not interested in Harry's leads.

"Clarissa says we should be looking at Fitzgerald and making our way down to the south coast" he said

"Oh does she" Makepeace was cool

Dempsey recognised the ice queen, but thought he could handle her. "Yeh, if we go down to Cork…"

"If we pay a visit to Ryan and Sean Tierney on the north side of town" Makepeace interjected.

"If we take the advice of our colleagues" Dempsey was annoyed

"Then we will follow up the lead Quinn and I picked up this morning"

"Then we will prepare to go on a journey as suggested by Clarissa"

"No Lieutenant"

"No Sergeant"

"I'm going to see where my leads take me, after I've had something to eat. No doubt you've eaten"

"You're right, we've eaten. It's your lead, you follow it"

Makepeace left the office. Quinn was unsure what to do; he decided to follow about a minute later.

Dempsey asked for some maps, and looked back through the files they had brought from England.

Inspector O'Malley came asked Clarissa to follow up a lead on the current case she was attached to and about 4.00 with all his preparations done Dempsey made his way back to their hotel.

By six Harry still hadn't come back, James went for a walk taking in the famous Dublin sights and at 7.30 decided to change for dinner. At 8.00 he went down to the bar, he didn't quite know the best way to track Harry down. He ordered a drink, and 8.30 took the table he had reserved. He wondered what Harry had found that could have kept her, and considered going back up to the room to look for the phone number of the police offices but just then Clarissa walked in.

She made her way over to reception and asked for Dempsey; they pointed her to the restaurant, and on finding Dempsey Clarissa sat herself opposite him "Hi" she smiled.

He smiled back, and asked her if she had eaten. She explained that she had just finished a possible IRA crime and was starving. Starving or ravenous was a description Dempsey identified with, he suggested they ordered dinner and Clarissa thought the world had just fallen nicely on her plate.

They had just finished the main course when Harry came looking for Dempsey. She saw him sitting, eating, laughing with Clarissa and turned back around. Makepeace felt as numb as a relative who'd just been told of the death of a loved one, then as the numbness faded and a searing pain knifed it's way into her instead she felt absolutely and utterly foolish. Ordering a sandwich to take to their suite she went upstairs, although she tried Makepeace couldn't swallow any food and chucked it in a bin.

When the wine bottle was empty Dempsey remembered that he had been concerned about Harry, and asked Clarissa for the office phone number. He rang and was told by the duty sergeant that Quinn had brought the car back an hour ago.

He asked at reception and discovered that Harry had ordered room service also nearly an hour ago. He ran upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Harry it's me"

She opened the door.

"So you've blown our cover, done no bloody work and picked up an Irish Cop"

"What the heck?"

"You've eaten, not once but twice today whilst I've been working, tailing, talking, delving, and doing a darn sight more leg work than you Lieutenant"

Dempsey knew he was in trouble because of the 'Lieutenant' bit. "Well I got kinda hungry waiting for you, you didn't leave any messages"

"I was working"

"What do think I was doing?"

"I've no idea! It looked to me like the wrong type of leg work Dempsey"

"I've done paperwork and booking our next hotel and…"

"Clarissa Dempsey, Clarissa"

"Oh I left her downstairs, I'd better go and say goodnight"

"Just don't…"

He was gone. Harry rang down for an extra blanket, which arrived just as Dempsey was making his way back as well. He stood behind the porter as Harry opened the door. She took the blanket from the Porter and handed it to Dempsey, then threw a pillow onto the sofa and got into bed. She buried her head into the pillow afraid that he might see her tears.


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh well rollercoasters have dips and highs:**

The next morning even Dempsey realised the atmosphere was still icy.

"You having breakfast?" he tried to ask light heartedly.

Harry looked at her watch "No time: I'm getting the 7.40 to Belfast"

"You're what?"

"You heard"

"You ain't going. I've booked us…"

"I'm working Dempsey"

"So what do you think I'm doing Sergeant?"

"Having an affair"

"What"

"You heard"

"How do you come up with that?"

"Mr and Mrs Dempsey book into said hotel, had what I must admit was a very enjoyable first evening, but before 24 hours are up you, Lieutenant, have had stunning Clarissa all over you in the office, taken her out for a drive in your 'sexy' car and had dinner with her in the very hotel you're supposed to be staying at with me!"

"What!"

"Why do you keep saying bloody 'what' Dempsey"

"Because Sergeant I don't understand"

"Well it's about time you tried"

"If you ask me it's about time you started to think a bit more reasonably, no rationally"

"Reasonable, that's a laugh"

"I ain't laughing Harry"

"Neither am I"

"You want to know about Belfast?"

"You want to know about Cork?"

Makepeace picked up her bag and jacket and walked out.

Dempsey didn't feel much like breakfast so he went into the office.

Inspector O'Malley looked up, he wasn't expecting to see the Brits today, DS Sullivan had said they were off to Cork.

Next time he looked up was because he overheard a snatch of conversation "Thank you for dinner last night Jim, great food – great company"

O'Malley wandered casually across the office "You're off to Cork I hear Lieutenant"

"Yeh, soon as I've got these details filed"

"Sergeant Makepeace not helping you? I understood she was the master of this side of things?"

"No, and Yes"

"Sorry"

"No she's not helping me; yes she is better at it"

"I hope she's not ill?" O'Malley tried to sound casual but it was obvious to the whole office as well as Dempsey that he was fishing.

Dempsey looked O'Malley straight in the eyes "What you want to know is where she is?" O'Malley coughed "Belfast" Dempsey continued to stack his notes as he spoke then he looked back into O'Malley's eyes. They stared each other out.

Clarissa couldn't believe her luck - she spoke up "I'm going to the local for an early lunch, do you want to join me? I could go over the route with you"

Dempsey broke the stare and turned to Clarissa "Thanks Sergeant" he put the notes in his coat pocket, picked up a folder and a map and beckoning Carissa with his eyes left the office. She followed but not before O'Malley pointedly reminded her that there was a briefing in 45 minutes on the IRA case. Clarissa thought half an hour alone with Jim was worth the stripping down she knew she would get when she came back.

In the pub Dempsey bought drinks and asked her to go over the route again. Clarissa enjoyed getting close to Dempsey and guiding his finger over the map through key points. Dempsey drank quickly, thanked Clarissa for her advice and informed her as to which hotel he had booked in case Makepeace rang in for it before leaving.

When Clarissa came back she passed Quinn just leaving O'Malley's office, he looked like he had just be whipped and lashed.

Spikings picked up his phone, he heard an Irish voice "Chief Inspector your crack team is not crack and is not even a team. You've sent me an over sexed Yank whose fooling around with my staff and a pig headed woman who's not speaking to anyone!"

Spikings rubbed his head and groaned. "Leave them to me Inspector; they will come up with a first class investigation I promise you". He put the phone down "I hope" he added. "Chas" he shouted "get me the details of the bloody hotel Dempsey wanted"

Chas brought the paper work in "Gov?" he enquired.

"That bloody Yank is up to his old tricks, we'll have a diplomatic mission as big as the Catholic Protestant thing on our hands soon if we're not lucky"

Spikings dialled the hotel himself but when he asked for Mr and Mrs Dempsey he was informed they had checked out, with no forwarding details.

"Bloody Hell Chas! See if you can track down either of them, apparently Dempsey has gone off to Cork and Makepeace across the border to Belfast"

"Not together then?" asked Chas

"I'm not so sure that marriage suited them" ~ at least that made Spikings smile for a moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Belfast / Cork**

By Wednesday Lunch time in Belfast Makepeace had found Ryan, she sat in a café pretending to look at a tourist guide as she listen to the conversation on the next table. At least as a lone woman they would not suspect her. She memorised the details of a delivery to a certain Brian Sheahan in Cork tomorrow, finished her tea and left to find travel arrangements. There was no direct line to Cork, so as she would have to go via Dublin she could at least find out where Dempsey was.

Harry hadn't decided how to approach Dempsey. She had tried to rationalise things and came to the conclusion that Dempsey saw her as a friend, a good friend, probably his best friend in the UK. As much as he flirted it appeared to be natural instinct rather than anything else because he never seemed to follow anything through.

The trouble was that she had lost interest in dating anyone else, and they had lost interest in dating her; those who had felt they were merely intruding, Harry's mind was always either on work or Dempsey it seemed.

Dempsey arrived in Cork, checked into the suite he had booked.

"Will Mrs Dempsey be joining you?" the receptionist asked

Not wanting to admit that he wasn't sure he merely said "At some point" then he thought that sounded a little harsh, he put on a smile "She's meeting up with some long lost relative she's just discovered in Belfast today"

It sounded reasonable to him, and the receptionist.

He asked about Paddy Fitzgerald, and soon slipped naturally into undercover and headed for the bars. It was late when he made his way back to the hotel, it had been a good days work and he made built up a network of people who seemed to have connections with Patrick Tierney. He had also discovered Irish Whisky.

Makepeace, like Dempsey, fell quite easily into her undercover role and was asking around about the family history of Tierney and Dempsey on behalf of her husband. She found a museum of names, and noted that Dempsey seemed to come from County Kerry. The curator was a Tierney himself and was delighted to talk for what seemed like hours. Harry let him continue – it was still 2 hours before her train left. As the conversation drifted over her head she suddenly caught something about a marriage to Paddy Fitzgerald.

"Can you just go back a moment" she asked the curator, he was more than happy, and when Harry left for the train she felt like she would have more information than Dempsey. She smiled to herself satisfactorily.

Her train arrived in Dublin late on Tuesday evening and Makepeace took a taxi to the Hotel.

"What do you mean we've checked out?" Harry was furious

"Self opinionated, self-important, thoughtless, egotistical, arrogant…" Makepeace looked at the receptionist.

"I can offer madam a twin room, with en-suite" the receptionist kept calm, they were trained to remain neutral at all times. Harry took it for just one night; right now she wanted a shower and a bed to sleep in.

Thursday Makepeace called in at the Dublin Police offices. Inspector O'Malley gave her a cold stare and walked straight past. She spoke to Quinn and used the computer to check backgrounds on her latest names and connections then asked Quinn if he knew where Dempsey had gone. He didn't. Harry was peeved, but she knew she thought she would find him soon enough just by looking for a classy hotel. She left to catch her train to Cork.

Clarissa had observed and overheard as much as she could from across the room. O'Malley had instructed her to keep to her own case, he was not giving free work to the Brits, they had paid for one Detective Constable and that was what they were getting. However tomorrow (Friday) was a rest day! She would be too tired to drive down to Cork tonight; she would have an early night and leave first thing next morning. She knew the hotel; she imagined Jims' surprise when he saw her.

It was nearly lunch time when Dempsey emerged into the day light on Thursday. It was early July and the weather was sunny and warm and he made his way to the pub where he arranged to meet Fitzgerald.

**Cork**

Makepeace arrived in Cork late Thursday afternoon; she booked herself into a modest hotel and looking though a tourist guide smiled as she imagined which hotel Dempsey would have booked into, she wondered if was in both their names. She had intended on meeting back up with him, but that he had not left forwarding details with O'Malley had annoyed her intensely, more so the more she thought about it. If the aim of the trip was to flush out Patrick Tierney, she would get to him before Dempsey ~ bloody arrogant Yank.

Harry changed for dinner and took a taxi to the restaurant. She explained to the waiter that she was on a sort of blind date, and had been instructed to meet her date here. She chose a table just across from where Ryan was already sitting. After fifteen minutes Sheahan arrived and he and Ryan seemed to exchange bags with ease; the object of the meeting complete, they ordered drinks. Harry smiled at them as she kept looking out for her supposed blind date. Eventually Sheahan asked her if she was alone and again Makepeace explained about her blind date, which 'she now thought was not going to turn up'.

Ryan recognised when Sheahan was flirting; he suddenly decided that he had more urgent business and made his excuses to leave. Sheahan invited Harry to join him; he called over the waiter and ordered dinner.

Harry looked across the table at the dark Irish eyes smiling back at her. Bloody under cover! A rather handsome guy was buying her dinner and that was as much as she could allow given the circumstances. Right now she found that frustrating; on top of that, or mainly arising from the planned undercover, her and Dempsey had fallen out and the death nail had been placed in her dreams.

Her and Dempsey's friendship, the fact they were so comfortable with each other, was why this undercover was approved. But the conception had taken place that Saturday night when James had lain with her listening to music, sharing a picnic, feeding one another. They had touched, stroked, caressed each other – she had glimpsed a dream and at best they had acted it out the first night in Dublin and now, she concluded, it could never be. For Harry it was a bitter sweet taste that she was obviously so attractive to the guy sitting opposite her; she tried, for the sake of gaining information, to be as pleasant and attentive as possible.

When Dempsey made his way back to the hotel he asked if Mrs Dempsey had shown up yet. 'Damn you Harry' he thought; he had had so many plans, so many sweet dreams that now had turned sour. He weighed up the 'push' and the 'pull' again and concluded that Harry spent more effort pushing him away than pulling him close. He remained bitterly disappointed because his heart was sold out to her and the times when she pulled him close were so sweet. Dempsey returned to the same bar as the previous night, he had got some further information from Fitzgerald who promised him more the next day; there was little else to do other than wait so tonight was all about whisky and the many Irish varieties lined up at the back of the bar.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cork**

As was becoming habitual late Friday morning Dempsey walked out into the sunshine. He put on his sunglasses; another bright warm summer day did nothing for his hangover.

Around lunchtime Clarissa parked her car and checked that Mr Dempsey was booked in. The receptionist said something about her finally arriving and gave her a key, telling her the room number. Clarissa took it, her heart was pounding, she turned the key and opened the door gingerly. The room was empty, that gave her a chance to wander around. She picked up a shirt thrown to the side, he must have only left the room recently as the maid had not yet been in to make the bed and tidy up. She thought about waiting, but since she had a key she decided that she would go back downstairs and out into the sunshine to wait for his return.

Makepeace arranged to meet Sheahan for lunch at the Rochestown Park Hotel. As she arrived she wondered if Dempsey had booked himself in, it was his sort of hotel. She enquired at reception but declined to leave a message when the reception confirmed the booking. Out of the corner of her eye Makepeace noticed Clarissa walking down the stairs and out into the grounds, her instinct was to run into the toilets to be sick but Sheahan had left a message that he was waiting in the bar.

Dempsey returned from his third meeting with Fitzwilliam, he had learnt that Sean Hickey dealt with Patrick Tierney. He had seen a photo of Hickey with some other men one of whom looked quite a lot like a guy in the bar. Actually, Dempsey realised, he was one of them.

Dempsey sat down in the bar, gave his order to the waiter and watched. His drink arrived as Harry walked over to Sheahan who stood to welcome her and ordered her a drink. Sheahan kissed her cheek and Harry smelt an alien aftershave and attempted a fake smile.

Dempsey watched memorized as Harry flirted with one of his suspects. Jealousy and envy swirled through him and he fought to submerge a primeval instinct to fight for his woman; this person was one of his chief suspects and he was in the middle of a case. Dempsey asked the waiter if he knew gentleman, and was informed that he was a regular customer, one who enjoyed the company of females.

Harry had also spotted Dempsey; he was watching her. She excused herself to 'powder her nose' and a few moments after she had walked towards the ladies Dempsey followed.

"Do you know who he is Makepeace?" Dempsey spoke once they were out of sight

"Yes, I'm not stupid" she replied with some sarcasm which never dropped throughout the whole conversation

"But are you safe?"

"Thank you for considering my safety but I managed perfectly ok for the past few days"

"Harry"

"What"

"He's a key person" Dempsey was getting agitated, he couldn't work Harry out.

"I know"

"So what's his name?" it hit Dempsey hard to ask such a question.

She looked at him, she recalled Clarissa walking down the stairs. "You've booked in as Mr and Mrs I see" her hurt breaking through her voice

"Yeh, you like it" He couldn't make out what was eating Harry, something very obviously was.

"It's very you Dempsey"

"I told them to expect you" his tone was soft but not welcomed by Harry who was still defensive

"Well I'm booked in else where, and I don't think our cover would be appropriate at present. Now if you excuse me I have a date to return to" Harry left Dempsey mystified and, deep within, mortified.

Back with Sheahan Makepeace kept her eyes scanning the room.

Dempsey thought quickly, he guessed that if Sheahan was a ladies man many of the bar staff would know him well, so looking around he made his way over to the most attractive girl and ordered another drink. She served him; he flattered her then chatted and flirted. He soon discovered that she had been taken out by Sheahan, and that he lived more into County Kerry . She gave him his address and explained that he had a lot of land, but she hadn't met anyone.

Makepeace watched Dempsey move his attention from herself to the prettiest barmaid and sighed as his face leant into the barmaid, as his finger touched her nose. Dempsey was the biggest and most successful natural flirt that she knew. His charms were insuperable and everyone she had seen him with fell for them; he had never failed. She had watched him many times at nightclubs; he moved seamlessly around her friends, those he knew and those he didn't. Every one of them adored Jim and pleaded her to bring him along to all sorts of occasions. It never bothered her girl friends that Jim moved between them, that he obviously was just charming them all. Each one adored the feeling of being special, of consideration and worth. Any woman could go up to Jim and he would make her feel a million dollars strangely without even disappointing anyone whom he was already attending.

Harry smiled – despite all of that her friends called him 'Harry's Jim' and no one expected him to go home with anyone other than herself, to sleep on her sofa and share breakfast with her in the morning, to leave his wet towel in the middle of her bathroom floor, and say 'sorry sergeant' every time. Harry could picture things so well - James was always there to make her laugh, to tickle her mercilessly and wrap his arms around her. Once he even had the cheek to have his post delivered to Camberwell Grove…

Now Harry's anger flared but this time it was directed at herself - she, Harriet Makepeace, was the biggest idiot in the universe! She had jumped – no leaped – to entirely the wrong conclusions.


	8. Chapter 8

Clarissa entered the bar looking around for Dempsey. Harry almost forgot to listen to Sheahan as she saw Clarissa's jaw drop. Clarissa had been about to make her way over to James but she suddenly stood frozen to the spot when she saw Dempsey touch the cheek of the barmaid then continue to flirt with her. Clarissa turned and almost ran out of the room but unfortunately she bumped into Hickey. At first Clarissa excused herself and walked on but then she turned back into the room.

Sheahan noticed how inattentive Makepeace had become; he asked her if anything was wrong. Makepeace just commented that she thought she recognised someone, but it couldn't be as she didn't know anyone in these parts. She shook her head as if to clear her mind and re positioned herself so she could keep an eye on events whilst pretending to become more attentive to her date.

Observed only by Makepeace Clarissa came back into the room, looked long and hard at Dempsey then walked over to Hickey. She spoke to him then left.

Dempsey thanked the barmaid for her information and wandered across the room to where he could watch Harry more easily, a waiter chatted aimlessly to him and he let the words follow as he focused directly on Harry, she was still angry – he couldn't figure why. He looked at his watch, he had been told that Hickey usually came by to play golf; he sat and waited, looking around trying to see if he could recognise the man he'd seen on the photo.

Suddenly Harry noticed the gentleman Clarissa had spoken to take a long slow look around the room then turn and leave. She looked at her watch, made an excuse to Sheahan and left following the gentleman who would turn out to be Hickey. Dempsey had seen Harry go but nothing else. After an hour he gave up. Makepeace had also not come back.

Dempsey went up to his room to think. He went over all that he knew trying to make sure he had missed nothing. After sleeping for a couple of hours he made his way back downstairs and wandered around. A game of poker caught his eye, then he spotted that Harry's date was playing; he made his way across and was soon invited to join the game. By the end of the evening he had an address for Patrick Tierney.

Makepeace followed Hickey who stormed back to Fitzgerald. She bought herself a drink at the bar and although she could not hear the whole conversation she got the drift. Hickey seemed to know Dempsey was undercover; they may well have been tipped off about her as well so she removed herself and returned to her hotel but not before she had heard something about a small town called Klonakilty. She had an a vague address to follow up.

She rang into the Dublin office to ask for information on Hickey. Quinn was still on call so she told him her plans and asked him to keep Inspector O'Malley updated. She ordered room service, read through her notes and went to bed. As tired as she felt she couldn't sleep.

She thought about their first night, that's what she loved about James, his ability to surprise with so much thoughtfulness. So how could he be so bloody un-thoughtful in his behaviour the next day?

Why was Clarissa coming down stairs?

Why did he book in as Mr and Mrs at the Rochestown Park Hotel?

Quinn hadn't known Clarissa was in Cork , he had said something about O'Malley shouting at Clarissa; did Dempsey even know Clarissa had been in Cork ?

When Dempsey said he wanted to sleep with her did he mean it?

She finally fell asleep with everything still unresolved in her mind.

Dempsey went to up to bed a happy man, he had won several hundred Irish pounds and was about to close his prey down somewhere near a town called Klonakilty. As soon as he walked into the suite his mood changed. He was suddenly aware that Harry wasn't there. Not only was she not there but she wasn't talking to him. His depression deepened as he reflected over his dream of what would happen before they came out here. He had no doubt that they would sort out the working bit, but what about the rest, and for how much longer could they work as a team and not sort out their personal lives. And bloody hell what if sorting out their relationship stuff meant that they couldn't work together. May be he should have quit when he said he would at the same time as Harry. One thing he knew for certain that if there was no Harry then there was no England . He fell asleep dressed on the bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Klonakilty**

Feeling worse for wear and quite isolated Dempsey actually rang Inspector O'Malley Saturday morning to inform him of his progress and next move.

O'Malley seemed very unimpressed he merely informed Dempsey of Sergeant Makepeace's intended address, also in Klonakilty, and suggested that they work as a team; he had been informed he was being sent a team!

Dempsey drove south as arranged. Sheahan showed him around his land but was very apologetic about the fact that he was unable to be around in the evening as he had to be in Dublin the next day. Dempsey played the American touring Ireland and keeping an eye out for long lost relatives and explained that he was intending to stay overnight in Klonakilty before travelling west or north.

Makepeace hired herself a mini and also drove from Cork , she hoped to find Hickey at the only golf club in the area and had booked herself into the only hotel the small town seemed to have.

The day gave no extra information to either Dempsey or Makepeace other than they were able to keep tabs on their watches. Patrick Tierney didn't surface at all.

Dempsey didn't feel inclined to book in at the hotel; it would just emphasize his regret, so chose a small B+B. The Irish Landlady insisted on giving Dempsey a big meal, "You're a fine strong man" she insisted "You need some feeding up" She stood and talked whilst he ate, she talked endlessly about nothing in particular, her strong Irish accent meant Dempsey could barely catch every third word, he smiled politely.

Relieved to have stopped eating and therefore be entertained by his host he took his notes up to his room to study, but he couldn't settle.

He actually needed to know where Harry's leads had taken her. He thought the connection between Sheahan and Hickey would be the door to finding Tierney. An equal reason for his disquiet was the unresolved argument with Harry. He was baffled over Harry's problem and annoyed that she could go off on one without any explanation. One or two nights of huffing and puffing around was more than enough, they were a team, a good team and they needed to resolve the issue – what ever that was. Fear fleeted across his mind - what if it was irresolvable? He loved his current life – SI10 working with Harry every day, having her for a great friend out of work. He knew he would like it to be more, but Harry confused him sometimes. Now was one of those; they'd had a great first night and a disastrous second and he was at a loss to understand why. He picked up his notes, put on his coat and asked the Landlady for a key. As he drove past an off licence he stopped and bought some wine; at Harry's Hotel he asked for a couple of wine glasses and made his way up to her room.

He knocked on her door, she opened it, he was still adjusting his tie and that made her smile. Inside her heart skipped a beat and she prayed this would go well, but her tone of voice gave nothing of that away. She spoke "Oh it's you"

Dempsey reassured himself that this was typical Makepeace understatement "Don't sound so pleased to see me"

"I'm not sure if I should be" Harry didn't want to show any weakness

"You gonna invite me in?" experience had shown Dempsey many times how to handle 'the Sergeant'.

"Come in Dempsey, why don't you"

He stepped in side and looked around, he couldn't be sure what he was looking for, and then as he spoke "You alone?" he realised: There were no signs of any one else. He was petrified of someone else being there, jealous that she might entertain someone other than himself.

"I've got plenty of work to do Dempsey, unlike some people I have kept my eye on the targets"

"What?" He'd not really been listening, then her words finally registered "I ain't been distracted" he defended

"That's not what it looked liked to me" Harry dug in for battle.

Dempsey recognised the signs; she was starting to annoy him again, that was a real problem ~ she could be so damn bloody annoying!

"What?" Dempsey felt totally mystified, in the interest of his mission he decided to start again. He held up the bottle of wine and the two glasses, "I got one of your favourites"

"Distracted" As Harry voiced the single word it started high and harsh and finished low and soft as she noted the wine was a favourite, and Dempsey was about the only person who would remember that.

"I thought we could update each other with our leads over a bottle wine" he spoke softly and with hope and looked at her with his soft brown eyes and a yearning that he couldn't hide.

Harry thought back to their first night when he had ordered champagne, and they worked together, relaxed on the sofa, sipping champagne and reading reports; it certainly was an enjoyable way to work. She had missed both his wit and wisdom following Ryan up into Northern Ireland .

"Did you pick up a cork screw?" she asked as she took the wine glasses out of his hands. Dempsey noticed the playful grin flicker across Makepeace's face and eyes before she managed to control and hide it. He took the cork screw out of his pocket and opened the wine. His smile was rooted deep into his heart, everything was OK again now..


	10. Chapter 10

"Tell me what you got" Dempsey asked as he passed her a full glass and sat on the sofa with his. Harry picked up her folder and sat on the sofa, tucking herself into the opposite corner. She took a sip of wine and started to go through her information. Dempsey added what he knew and they discussed how it may all connect together in the end.

It took nearly two hours, but at the end they felt they were together on top of the case again. Harry stretched her legs out, they reached Dempsey's lap, he automatically started to massage her foot. 'You see' thought Harry 'at one level we almost live with each other'; she looked into his eyes, she loved it when they softened like now.

"You know Clarissa tipped Hickey off about you?" she spoke softly, enjoying his touch

Dempsey was surprised "Clarissa? The hot Irish cop?" he asked as he ran his hand up her around her ankle

Makepeace smiled, from somewhere she had found a peace that accepted she would never change that part of him "Yes, that one"

"When?"

"In Cork "

Dempsey was perplexed, "What was she doing there? I thought we met her in Dublin?"

"Dempsey if you're going to have a woman in every town you really must remember who lives where"

"That's easy" he grinned wickedly "I'll have you in every town we visit" He took her other foot and started on that,

Harry let herself take hope from the remark. "Clarissa was in Dublin but came to Cork" she explained.

"Whatever for?" Dempsey was genuinely at a loss "She wasn't part of the team" his incredulity was transparently true

"Lunch in Dublin ?" Harry stepped tentatively and nervously into the arena she had been so upset by

"She took me to a café that served Irish potato soup, you know showing off her country and it's traditions" Harry wriggled awkwardly and withdrew her foot.

Dempsey sensed her discomfort – "It was only hospitality" he added "you told me the Irish were good at that"

"You took her out to dinner" Harry still needed to work things through

"Correction, she joined me at dinner" he started to feel a bit defensive

"Well, I think she thought…"

"Women!" Dempsey was amazed "Why do women make assumptions out of absolutely nothing?"

Harry felt unable to answer that, instinct told her that she was just about to find herself guilty of the very same. Dempsey continued "I was just trying to be friendly; it doesn't have to mean anything does it?"

"There are a lot of pretty Irish ladies to be friendly to" Makepeace observed

"Yeh" he smiled, he loved women but he 'loved' the English one sitting in front of him right now.

"Like the barmaid that Clarissa saw you with at the hotel in Cork ." Harry explained

"Is that why she talked to Hickey?" Dempsey was amazed and at a loss to understand this Clarissa thing. He had rated her as a good cop – she certainly knew her way around the underworld of criminals and villains, giving him some valuable information for their case.

"Guess so" Harry could feel for Clarissa's jealousy; she thought it a little miss placed after one non meal but jealousy was exactly what had prompted her departure to Northern Ireland alone.

At dinner Clarissa had shared quite a bit about the IRA case she was working on and to Dempsey her discerning skills had appeared to be on a par with Makepeace's but the evidence seemed to show that she jumped to conclusions rather too quickly.

Dempsey started to reply "How many times have I said that women should never be cops?" he paused to take a deep breath and then launched "They're just too emotional, unreliable, overreact, and are totally unpredictable"

Harry felt each phrase knife into her.

Unaware of anything going through Harry's mind Dempsey stood up. "Let's go down to the bar" he suggested.

"I don't know" Harry sounded uncertain, she actually felt quite tired.

"Come on, I'll but you a cocktail or two" He took her hand and pulled her gently up and said something that made her laugh.

"OK" she relented.

The bar was nearly empty, a few people were scattered around, and a pianist was playing. Dempsey ordered a Manhatten and a Marguerite; they sat to the right of the pianist and listened for a few minutes. Dempsey spoke "There was an Irish man, a Scots and an Englishman…." He had Harry in fits with some of the jokes he had learnt. They shared a couple more cocktails, and Dempsey was so relieved to have Harry back by his side, enjoying each others company. He looked longingly at her, but she mainly missed the glances, although she did appreciate those she was aware of. Harry was day dreaming, she was at Kenwood, then sharing a takeaway, then at the ball, then pressing her white rose… she leant against James and sipped her drink. Faced with so many images even she began to think they actually did rather look like a dating couple; she so longed for the invitation or something to tell her with certainty that they were.

Harry was forced back out of her thoughts, Dempsey was holding her hand, "Princess let's have a dance before I have to go back". She allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor area. They were the only couple, but soon a few others followed their lead.

Dempsey put his arm around Harry's waist and pulled her into him

Harry just melted into his body - this was her dream. Right now she wanted the whole place to fade away and leave the two of them alone. Dempsey felt Harry's hand on his shoulder, her fingers intertwine with his. He could feel her breathe. He longed for her company, her smile and her perfume. He drank in the aroma and held her. My God he needed to succeed in making this Ireland thing work.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and they moved slowly in circles both so content to feel the other within their arms and share the time and space as one. Neither thought or spoke, they literally enjoyed the moment for all that it held.

The bar lights turned down, the music stopped. "Bed time sweetheart" Dempsey gently kissed her cheek. Harry looked into his eyes; they looked back with that deep piecing she had felt before. Dempsey felt as if his heart was burning as her eyes warmed his whole being. He led her to the stairs and kissed her again on the cheek "Sleep well Princess. I'll pick you up in the morning"

"Dempsey" she looked into his eyes and didn't know what it was she wanted to say, not right there, not just then. She touched his upper arm "night".

They walked away from each other, both glancing back, but missing the other doing the same with a series of mis-timings.


	11. Chapter 11

**Cork**

The next day was Sunday. Dempsey had called to pick Makepeace up, but she had to drive her mini back to the car hire. She did so and jumped into the Porsche where Dempsey was waiting.

"Where to now partner?" the grin was back on Dempsey's face "You coming back to the Rochester with me?" he asked, assuming she would.

"I don't think so Dempsey" she looked into his eyes and saw the shock and disappointment. "I like being back on an even keel" she explained, "Let's not rock the boat again just yet. Besides I only took an overnight bag to Klonakilty, all my stuff is still in my hotel room."

Dempsey absorbed his disappointment and Makepeace continued "Let's try the local cop shop, see if O'Malley can arrange for us to use a desk here in Cork for a few hours or so."

Detectives from SI10 London was the biggest thing that hit Cork in a year, they never really featured in any major crime scene so they were more than willing to help out.

O'Malley was grudgingly impressed with their progress and agreed to arrive with the back up and paper work needed on Tuesday, ready for possible arrests on Wednesday or Thursday.

Dempsey was worried about the time delay, but O'Malley said it would take Monday to sort out the paper work and they would travel on Tuesday.

Harry tried to reassure him that it was just a slower way of life out here.

"It gives us a little time, time to look around" she suggested

Dempsey laughed; she had no idea about what but he seemed happy and that made her happy. He hummed to himself as they drove away from the police station.

Dempsey pulled up outside Harry's hotel.

"What about dinner tonight?" he asked, unsure how he would cope with another rejection but determined that he needed to forward his plan.

Harry looked at him; there was a sheepishness look to his eyes that she didn't quite get. "Sounds good to me" she smiled positively.

"I'll pick you up just before 8.00" he paused uncertain of what else to say - if Harry didn't want to 'rock the boat' he didn't want to venture anything too radical and so he simply said "It'll give me a chance to wear my DJ"

Harry grinned; he meant 'dinner' dinner! "I'd better start getting ready now then" she laughed as she got out of the car.

Dempsey sped back to his hotel, and asked the concierge to book him a table at the smartest restaurant he could advise. He had a couple of other preparations to make, made a little harder by the fact it was a Sunday, but he was pleased with his results in the end.

At 7.45 he arrived back at Harry's hotel and made his way up to her room. Outside he adjusted his bow tie, mainly out of nervousness, and knocked the door.

Harry opened it, she looked stunning and Dempsey fell speechless for a moment, her hair was up with a few soft strands of hair emphasising her beautiful face. He so wanted to touch her neck, her hair - to gentle explore the softness of her skin.

"Wow, you look wonderful" he said, it came out as a whisper he was so over awed. Harry stood aside to let him in, and looked almost as nervous as he felt. Dempsey kissed her cheek and offered her a small package. It was exquisitely wrapped, decorated with posy of freesias. Dempsey coughed slightly "I didn't get you flowers, given that we're moving around so much, but I hope you like it"

Harry carefully unwrapped the gift; she opened it and saw a silver Celtic brooch.

"It's gorgeous" she picked it up and admired it in her hands. She looked at Dempsey, he seemed a little uncertain of himself, most unusual she thought, "Hey this is just like a first date" she laughed aloud as she spoke then noticed that Dempsey was actually blushing. Oh my God she thought, 'may be it's meant to be a date!' She mentally kicked herself so hard, she had dreamed of this so often and now she had just blundered into making him feel so uncomfortable 'you bloody, bloody fool' she said to herself. Desperate to retrieve the situation she picked up her pashmina and used the brooch to secure it. "I love it," she kissed his cheek, "thank you". She put her arm through his, "Let's go"

The food was fantastic; the Irish staff were both friendly and discreet at the same time.

Whether Harry was eating or talking Dempsey was captivated; he was so engrossed in enjoying her beauty that at one time Harry asked him why he wasn't hungry.

When she laughed her eyes light her face and thought she looked divine; when she told stories of her family holiday here in Ireland with her Mother and Father she wistful and Dempsey so wanted to hold her and tell her that she wasn't alone here now, that this time he was here with her, really with her - not just as work.

She told stories of running along the beaches, the rock pools and the sandcastles she had made with her Father, she giggled and he loved it and later when she spoke of her Mothers death he reached across the table and used his thumb to brush away the tear she had refused to allow surface.

Dempsey told her of his visit to the beach at Coney Island but it mainly consisted of a description and explanation about 'Coney dogs' and how they need chilli sauce and mustard. Harry laughed and contemplated how anyone could be dining in a 5 star restaurant and debating the merits of different hot dogs "would he not admit they were all gross?" she teased.

She listened intently when he spoke about his childhood, jealous of the community that sat and played on the stoops and the street that sounded like a huge family. Yet she was horrified and failed to understand how each neighbourhood could become so gang orientated. Makepeace saw a loneliness in Dempsey's eyes when he talked about his Mom and New York, his friends and family there and she felt uncertain that she could offer enough to compensate for all that he was missing.

Realising the tempo was beginning to edge towards melancholic reflection and away from fun Dempsey returned to the huge list of Irish jokes he had acquired and although he intended to keep the whole evening very low key on the dating thing he couldn't resist sharing dessert with Harry, wiping a touch of cream off her lip with his finger. When he got that close to her though his heart was pounding again, he let his thumb linger on her chin and his touch was starting to send anticipation and hope though Harry. Their eyes locked on to each other and both found themselves powerless to move, speechless but able to read something about desire in the others being. Torn in two Dempsey raised his eyes and the waiter brought the bill.

Dempsey dropped Harry back at the Hotel.

"Are you coming in for a drink?" she asked

He walked around the car and opened the door for her. He helped her out; his lips brushed hers as he then kissed her lips with the lightest of touches and murmured "Good night Harry" He looked at her feeling a desperation to try for more but he fought for control. He wished he knew the extent of Harry's true feelings about him; right now he didn't want to ruin a perfect evening.

"James" Harry was deliberately looking straight into his eyes; she just hoped he would see her happiness. She needn't have worried, her eyes sparkled. "I loved every bit of the evening, thank you" 'I love you' was the phrase that skipped through her mind, but she didn't dare verbalise it. Their eyes parted and Harry walked away from the car and into the hotel. She calmly made her way to her room, but once there threw herself down onto her bed and laughed out loud, it was a mixture of nervousness and joy. She picked up the small freesias the smelt so powerful, she would press them to keep.


	12. Chapter 12

Dempsey couldn't stay asleep. By 8.30 Monday morning he was over at Harry's hotel, looking to see if she was in the dining room. He managed to ascertain that she wasn't and charming his way around the staff persuaded them to let him take coffee and fresh Irish barm cakes and soda bread up to Harry's room.

He opened the door and saw the bed empty. His heart sunk with disappointment. He imagined she had gone into the Police Station to work.

Harry heard the door. She hadn't ordered any room service.

"What the hell do you think…" She came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her; she stopped when she saw it was Dempsey.

"Hi ya Honey" he watched her tuck the towel into itself more firmly, and pick up another for her hair. "I brought us breakfast up…" he was unsure where to go next and that made him nervous ~ he always knew what to say next when dating women.

Harry noted the phrase 'us'. She liked it when he used it, she had especially liked it at Ostriches wedding when he had pulled her into himself and asked for a photo "for us" in front of Spikings. Now she noticed that he had stopped talking, which was almost unknown. She took one of the barm cakes and bit into it. "Great" she looked at him still standing there "Well put that lot down and start eating" she said as she poured them both a coffee.

"So what are we going to do today?" she asked

We originally came with the cover of looking up my family history, will you come with me?

"Uh H" Harry affirmed the idea as she ate. When she had finished she explained about her information she had picked up in Belfast that the Dempsey's came from the far west of County Kerry.

So they spent the morning using the Cork Police computer researching the Dempsey clan starting from his boxing Uncle and then tracking down some specific family. The local staff were helpful in advising how to get to Bantry.

**Bantry**

They hit the jackpot when they found James' Fathers cousin 'May Dempsey'. It was her 80th birthday and 15 relatives had gathered at the family home for a birthday lunch. The nature of the Irish ensured a warm welcome for Dempsey and Makepeace as they joined the family gathering.

"Hey come and meet my second cousin" Dempsey took Makepeace by the hand and led her across, when they got there neither of them opened their fingers to let go.

Harry liked the Dempsey that talked about his family to all these Irish. She liked that he delighted in family tree and, giving up trying to remember, wrote it all down. Everyone treated them as a couple, and they both enjoyed acting it. For most of three hours they had either been hand in hand, her arm resting through his or his arm around her waist as he explained how he was from New York on secondment and that Harry was his partner.

As the party broke up Cousin May leaned across to Harry "If you don't mind me saying my dear ~ this partner stuff ~ all very modern but not so secure." Harry enjoyed the mis-understanding. She smiled and whispered back in her ear "I promise you May that when he asks me I'll say yes."

Dempsey took Harry's arm "It's rude to whisper"

May looked at the blushing Harry "Don't you go worrying my girl, it won't be long now, you just keep your promise to me"

"What was that about?" Dempsey couldn't keep his interest quiet.

"Oh nothing"

He knew nothing was about the far extreme from the truth, but also he knew that he wouldn't get any closer. "We've been invited to a Céilidh _(a social event, typically with Celtic music and dancing)_ tonight – You mind stay around?"

Harry was more than happy; in fact she was in seventh heaven - loving this life to bits, living a dream all be it for one day only. She grinned ecstatically "we'd better find somewhere to stay the night though; they serve a lot of Irish whisky at these Céilidhs."

"I think I saw a small hotel back at the cross roads. Let's drive back there" Dempsey suggested.

Dempsey noted that although it called itself a hotel it was barely more than a large house really. He wondered what on earth to do about the room thing; it was just that Harry had not wanted to do the room share again. "I don't think we're gonna find a honeymoon suite with a four poster bed and Jacuzzi Princess"

Harry slipped her arm back through his "Let's just do the 'Mr and Mrs' and see what they've got"

He looked into her eyes "Sure"

"Sure"

They walked in and Harry spoke "We're looking for a room for the night" she started to explain.

"Sure me dears, no problem" the Irish lady smiled at them. She showed them to a room. As the door opened they could see a modest room with a double bed and a small en-suite.

Dempsey had no idea if this was OK, he kept quite. The Irish Lady looked at Harry who said that would be fine, she left them alone.

Dempsey fell backwards onto the bed. "Wow that was quite exhausting" he kicked his shoes off and positioned his head on the pillows. He smiled "My Irish family can sure talk." He looked over to Harry and patted the bed "I promise I'll behave"

Harry looked at the single upright chair in the corner of the room "Old May was a dear" she reflected and deciding the bed looked a whole lot more comfortable kicked off her shoes likewise and lay on the bed. They both fell asleep about the same time. An hour later Dempsey opened his eyes to see Harry lying facing him, he could feel her breath she was so close. He smiled and after just watching her for nearly twenty minutes he slid backwards off the bed and rang down for tea for two.

As he was pouring the tea she woke. "Here you are Princess" he passed her a cup of tea as she sat up and looked at her watch.

"So how's your Irish Dancing Dempsey?" she asked as she sipped her tea

"Is it different to other dancing?"

"It's a bit like English Country Dancing"

Dempsey looked perplexed; Makepeace tried again "Barn dancing?"

"What?"

"What do you know about Céilidhs?"

"Irish Whisky"

"And?"

"And nothing else, I'm getting to like Irish whisky, it's different again to the Scottish or most of what I get back in New York"

Harry rolled her eyes "They have a band playing, violins mainly" she started

"Will you dance with me Harry" his eyes were nothing but soft "I'd like that"

Harry smiled "Just don't tread on my toes"

It seemed that everyone had heard about the American looking up his family and the place seemed packed. Some of the old men could remember Jack Dempsey the boxer, others just reminisced about the past, but absolutely everyone was offering them both their favourite whiskey and Poitín _(moonshine illegal potato whiskey)_ to try and never let them refuse. They moved around talking to so many people, they tried to join some of the dances and generally they made so many mistakes they ended up falling about laughing and disrupting the whole reel.

"Hey this Poitín has some kick" Dempsey held up a glass and spoke over a crowd.

"Aye, that is brewed by Maud, something like 60%"

Harry shook her head, no wonder she was drunk.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey come and look at the stars; you can see them from New York too." Harry joined Dempsey outside as he smoked a cigar and reflected on his Irish roots. He put his arm around her shoulder and pointed up "You know – the North Pole, the Great Bear, Cassiopeia."

Her heart beating fast Makepeace nestled herself as close into him as possible.

"It's been a really good day"

"Yeh"

"It must be good to find some family roots"

"It's been good to share it with you Harry"

"Look at the Milky Way, you just never get to see that many stars in London; I don't think even from Winfield Hall." Harry briefly wondered when the dream would stop, when she would be forced to wake up to reality but then Dempsey lowered his arm and his fingers combed through Harry's hair. He softly repeated his gentle brushing of her hair away from her face. His hand caressed the nape of neck.

She glowed within, and put her arm around Dempsey's waist. Dempsey thought he may finally have reached the heavens, or at least they were stretched to down here in Ireland tonight. They stood together, both relishing the intimacy which they usually broke before it ever got started. Now neither wanted to break it, and both held their breath as the other kept the silence. With their eyes on the stars they could watch and enjoy the moment, the violins and laughter and dancing all seemed far in the background.

Suddenly Harry broke the silence between them "Hey was that a shooting star?"

Dempsey looked over and saw something fade "You'd better make a wish then my princess"

"Your princess?" Harry asked really hoping he meant it how she wanted him to, but expecting that, as usual, he would say something to blow the hope and the moment away.

Dempsey was agitated "please don't go telling me that I just offended your 'independent women' principle Sergeant"

Not the usual denial Harry noted but Dempsey continued with his own rhetorical question "Well why wouldn't you? - you keep pushing me back Harry and I don't know why cos other times you send me these signals…"

The poitín was performing its relaxing effects well and Harry placed her finger on his lips to halt the drunken tirade "Actually I rather like it" she smiled up at him a little too much like a soppy school girl

Dempsey couldn't believe it "Harry" he growled turning her to face him and looking straight into her eyes. Harry's body couldn't contain her exploding heart, she felt as if her chest would burst open. The heat from his eyes made the inferno rage inside and he looked to her lips, then back to her eyes to check she was still there accepting his attention. His pulse raced, his body throbbed, the copious alcohol provided both Dutch courage and burning desire and his gaze tried again to find confirmation on her face for his next move.

"My princess" he murmured softly. Her heart beat so fast she thought the whole world would hear it pound "When will you be mine, do I have to wait forever" he quoted the words of a song.

"No" she whispered and stepped forward.

James cupped her face in his hands and bent towards her lips. He stopped, and moved back again to confirm her acceptance, Harry's smile was as wide as the moon shining down and her eyes had a look of desperation that made him smile. His disbelief addressed he kissed her; a gentle sweet kiss, tentative and brief. She put her arms around his neck then held the back of his head and kissed him back. This was the heaven she had waited for.

Edward Devlin put his head outside and watched the kissing couple for a mere 10 seconds before he interrupted "Yous can be doing sum more of dat later" he said a broad accent "you'll be wanting to join the final drinking competition – we line the shots up on the swords – first one to drink everything from the tip to the hilt wins and the rest have to dance the swords"

Obediently and with some reluctance they both turned inside.


	14. Chapter 14

Makepeace drank the shots quickly determined not to have to dance. Dempsey was hilarious as they made him step left, right and back over the swords while everyone collapsed in laughter and then everyone was saying good bye and goodnight. Edward volunteered to direct the visitors back to their hotel; he left them at the entrance.

Fry sat patiently on a chair in the corridor. He had been entrusted by Spikings to find Dempsey and Makepeace. He had checked into the hotel 2 hours ago, but the manager wouldn't let him into their room without a warrant and as he didn't have one he had opted to sit on guard of the door.

Most definitely the worse for wear now Harry and James fell over the step of the hotel, "Keys for Dempsey please" Dempsey slurred

Harry tripped forward and Dempsey caught her as she fell, his hands underneath her breasts, pulling her back to upright.

"Are you touching me Lieutenant?" she tittered

"No I'm just holding you Sergeant" but his lust began to rise exponentially and he pressed against her as he spoke holding her tightly to him, enjoying the fullness of her breasts.

"Mr and Mrs Dempsey" – the late night porter passed their keys to Dempsey, who let go with one hand to take them, and slid the other down over her stomach towards her thigh.

They just about managed to walk supporting each other towards the stairs. As they wobbled their way up them Makepeace started

"James…"

"Harry?"

"I like doing undercover with you" she slurred, she felt his right hand roving over her body this time finding its way from her hips up towards her breast "Are we going to do married things?" she asked with the innocent smile of a child but the thoughts of an adult.

Dempsey looked at her confused but by now they had successfully surmounted the stairs and as they started down the corridor Harry stopped abruptly and turned into him. She kissed Dempsey on his lips and started to undo a button on his shirt.

"Oh _married_ things" he said with understanding but it was barely audible as her mouth was over his.

He returned the kiss hungrily and pulled her in to him, both his hands cruising over as much of her body as possible in the brief time.

He felt Harry start to pull his shirt out from his trousers; he pulled away and grabbed Harry's hand, dangling the keys with his other hand "Well I'm the husband and you're the wife" he said as he pulled her towards the door.

Fry's eyes bulged, huge, wide "Bloody Hell!!! I never knew you undercover would be like this" The sound of the voice was like throwing a bucket of iced water on the pair of them. Dempsey gathered his wits; Makepeace blushed profusely, "Right up until you're out of public sight Fry, never let it slip" Dempsey opened the door; they went in and shut the door behind them.

Dempsey pulled Harry into him he wanted to touch and feel so much of her; their kissing was hard and frantic. Harry continued to unbutton his shirt; Dempsey found her zip. They moved away from the door and Harry stepped over her dress as it dropped to the floor, his shirt fell next.

After a few minutes the door was being knocked, but they were too involved to take any notice; Makepeace lifted Dempsey's vest over his head and buried her fingers into his chest. They moved further away from the door ignoring the rapping sound and Dempsey's kisses moved from Harry's mouth down her neck and he teased her cleavage. Harry let out a moan and pressed herself against James as hard as she could - the passion now it had finally been released was intense.

At long last Makepeace felt the release of her bra and she struggled with drunken co –ordination to release the buckle on his trousers; they made their way across to the bed and James stepped out of his clothes as he lay Harry back and teased her lacy briefs down and off.

The knock on the door continued, Fry shouted through "Dempsey! Makepeace!"

Dempsey ran his kisses back up from her belly to Makepeace's mouth and she pulled him right onto herself him kissing him fully and deeply; their hands explored each other, both sighing, murmuring and moaning as they revelled in the touches. Harry moved her kissing away from Dempsey's mouth and began exploring his chest

Fry continued knocking – harder and unremittingly; he had been instructed by Spikings himself.

The persistence started to bother Harry, who sat up and looked over to the door.

"Ignore it" Dempsey mumbled trying to distract her with his tongue

The incessant calling from beyond the door continued "I can't" Harry said with absolute clarity.

Dempsey wrapped a robe around himself whilst Harry slid under the duvet and covered herself. Fry's voice sounded again "Lieutenant! Spikings told me…"

Dempsey opened the door "What are you doing here Fry?"

Fry stepped into the room and looked around. "No sofa then" he observed

"What the heck Fry, you ain't sleeping in here" cried Dempsey

"No, no" Fry stuttered "You said you always had a big room so you could sleep on the sofa"

"Have you got a room Fry?"

"Yes"

"Well I suggest you go to it now and leave the sergeant and myself alone"

"Spikings wants me to…"

"Well you go and tell Spikings that Harry and me – we're doing just fine. Now run along before I have you arrested"

Fry started to explain again "Spikings…."

Dempsey picked Fry up and pushed him back outside "Just go"

He climbed into bed next to Harry, but she was fast asleep. "Next you'll be saying you've got headache" Dempsey whispered in her ear. He looked at the rising and falling of her chest 'I guess if the wife's fallen asleep we must be married' he thought out loud then leaned over and kissed her forehead "Next time we'll do lovers princess" he proposed before falling into an instant sleep himself.


	15. Chapter 15

Dempsey stirred, and that woke Harry. She opened her eyes and found herself looking across the room. She saw a trail of clothes: her dress half covered by Dempsey's shirt – then she spotted her bra and, as she gazed with interest to the floor by the bed, she saw her knickers and Dempsey's boxers draped across the carpet. What really shook her was the smile that ran across her face - then the hangover kicked in. The throbbing headache commanded her attention and she was desperate for something to drink – anything.

The other major problem competing for her attention was that of facing Dempsey; she could feel his movement and now was inscrutably aware that she was naked in the same bed as him. Whilst the initial smile was genuine and she really wasn't aghast at the idea of sleeping with him she had imagined it would happen after they had had some sort of conversation about a relationship. She also knew that right now really wasn't the time – the searing pain in her head would confuse her thoughts and it was rather important that this would go well.

Dempsey had stirred and sat up; it was the movement to sitting that made the world around swirl and his head felt as if it would burst open. He opened his eyes to look at his watch then shut them again; the brightness told him it was time to be up and also that he had drunk far too much moonshine. Over by the door he could see his shirt on the floor and he carried some recall of a rather passionate and hot encounter with Harry. Fearful that Harry would be full of regret his initial reaction was to hide the evidence from her, at least until they got a proper chance to talk. He looked to his right, she seemed to be sleeping and he slipped out of bed – he was still wearing a robe which he refastened around his waist and despite the thunderous sounds in his head he walked across the room. Each footstep he took sounded in his head but it only took 12 steps to reach his shirt and her dress, then vest and bra – he turned to the bed to look for the remaining items and noticed Harry watching him through bleary half opened eyes; she smiled for the second time that morning – he had to admit to being rather amazed at that. He picked up his clothes and feeling rather embarrassed dropped her clothes from his hand onto the bed, leaving her knickers on the floor.

"I think I have the hangover from hell" she said realising then how loud her own voice echoed in her head as if to confirm it.

Dempsey was halfway to the bathroom

"Is there a glass – anything - so I can drink some water" she called

Dempsey scanned the bathroom, there were two new tooth brushes, courtesy toiletries and a glass – he used all he needed as quickly as possible then took a glass of water out to Harry

"I think we'd better get down to breakfast" he suggested, aware that he needed plenty to eat and copious amounts of coffee.

She had managed to wrap the sheet around her and she stood to take the glass from him and made her way into the bathroom to wash and dress.

They made their way down for breakfast in silence, but that was much to do with their hangovers as embarrassment. As Harry had washed and dressed she had tried to recall the events of the night but to little avail. She could remember the beginning of the Céilidh and how useless and hilarious the dancing had been and she guessed as she and James had drunk more they must have gotten intimate but she had no idea and just hoped she hadn't made a fool of herself in public. She wanted to be more certain about a lot of things regarding herself and James but as for sleeping with him – she remained somewhat positive about the idea – which still surprised her.

Dempsey was confused; he'd expected Harry to react differently – he wasn't disappointed that she hadn't freaked out but he felt that he still hadn't quite got the measure of her and that was unsettling. He was sorry that they had obviously done something last night, gone some way together – he had always wanted anything that happened between them to be slow, sensual and loving and mostly to have a memory of their first time that they both could treasure. On the other hand part of him was in seventh heaven - Harry was not adverse to the idea of being with him.

They sat to one side of the dining room and Dempsey finally stopped eating hungrily and sipped his second cup of black coffee looking sheepishly at Makepeace.

"Harry"

"James?"

Dempsey looked awkward, "Did you enjoy last night?"

Makepeace tried to look nonchalant "Um… great" she added "Great crowd your new relatives" likewise she sipped her coffee

"Yeh" Dempsey seemed unsure, he cleared his throat, "and later?"

"Later?"

"You know"

Makepeace knew well what he meant, but as she could remember nothing she fished to find out what he knew "Did you?" she turned the question around.

"Yeh", he looked down and Harry knew he was lying. He looked back up at Harry; she looked directly into his eyes. Their stare became fixed, daring the other to admit first.

Dempsey surprised himself by speaking first

"Ok; so did we or didn't we?"

"Did we or didn't we what?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"I haven't the faintest idea!" she teased

"Sleep with each other. Come on Harry, don't beat about the bush - did we do it?"

"You don't remember?" she half asked, half accused

"…Well…... not much ……"

Harry couldn't keep up the pretence any more

"Bloody Hell Dempsey neither can I; I've got a vague thing in my mind about Fry…"

"Fry…. Now you come to mention it..."

As if on cue Fry came into the dining room, Dempsey called him over. Harry glared fiercely at Dempsey, he winked back at her; he had a vague recollection building in his mind

"Fry come and join us" have you been in contact with Spikings yet

"Ah, well I over slept, late night last night" Fry whispered sheepishly.

Ah last night Fry, Harry kicked under the table, Fry jerked as her foot found the wrong target.


	16. Chapter 16

"We've got a little observation test for you Fry, see whether you are ready for undercover work" Dempsey ventured

Fry brightened up, he really wanted to step up into the under cover role area. "When do I do it?"

"Oh you've already seen it, now we need to know how much you really noticed" Dempsey started to explain "So last night we showed you how important it is to stay in your roles all the time. You see you never know when someone might be watching – like you were last night"

"Keep in role all the time" Fry repeated, and then added "You were very good"

"So what convinced you that we were Mr and Mrs Dempsey?"

"Oh the kissing, definitely the kissing," Fry coloured up; Makepeace did as well.

"So what time was that?"

"Oh I know that, 1.20am" Fry seemed to brighten up, he felt he was giving the right answers

"Who had the door key?" Dempsey tried to stop himself from grinning - he had a chance to find out what they did

"Oh I'm not sure"

"Hey it's a very important observation. Think!" Dempsey pushed Fry verbally

"Oh ~ It must have been you Dempsey"

"Why?"

"Because Harry was unbuttoning your shirt." Makepeace buried her head down pretending to eat

"Ok good observation, where was the porter?"

"What porter?" Fry asked bemused

"You can't remember the porter? Think, you must observe the whole scene Fry, the whole scene."

"I can't remember a porter"

"Porter?" Harry nearly blew it in her confusion

"The one we asked to stand 5 doors back" Dempsey glared at her, shut up if you can't contribute

"Oh the one with square hat" Fry beamed proud of his memory and building in confidence

"Yes that one" Dempsey smiled encouragingly, "Now Harry and I went into the room, and you did what?"

"Went to my room, then I remembered what Spikings had told me to tell you."

"Did you check down the corridor first?"

"No?" Fry's uncertainty started to register

"You should have."

"Ok" Fry said but still feeling confident enough he started again "I came back and knocked on the door"

"What could you hear?"

"Nothing" Fry was beginning to have the look of a frightened rabbit. Harry still couldn't remember anything but she had enough fears about sounds they may have made…

"You must have heard something" Dempsey demanded

Harry wanted to tell Dempsey to leave it, but she was also intrigued so she sat teasing the food on her plate to destruction and the conversation between Dempsey and Fry continued.

"No I just kept knocking, and I called"

"Did you listen at the key hole?"

"Damn no"

"Well you didn't hear anything - so what next"

"You let me in"

"And" Dempsey pressed on quickly

"And?" Fry seemed bewildered

"And tell us what you saw."

"Harry was in the bed, there was just a chair to the right – you know – no sofa"

"What was I wearing?" Dempsey ploughed straight on ignoring Fry's remark

"A dressing gown"

"Where was the gun?" Dempsey had got the pace now

"Didn't see one"

"Should have looked for it"

"Oh" Fry was beginning to sink back; he could sense the failure looming

"What colour cases?"

"Don't know" Harry swallowed hard – there were no cases, she knew that – had Fry not twigged that they were in the same clothes!

"Time on the clock?"

"1.40" Fry plucked a time out of the air

"No that's the time you think it was! What was on the clock?"

"Don't know"

"Curtains open or closed?"

"Don't know" Fry sensed doom and failure threatening to engulf the test

"What did you see Fry?"

Fry blushed intensely as he answered "A bra on the floor"

Makepeace went pink again; all the more so because she found the idea thrilling – she had never amazed herself so much in one day – if ever

"Fry, if your powers of observation are totally non existent because you see a bra..."

"And other… err… underwear," he choked on his words

Harry looked to see Dempsey's reaction but his eyes were tunnelling through Fry

"Fry you were totally distracted! A good cop is focused – he'd notice all those things that you didn't and a whole lot more beside."

"Don't tell Spikings please," Fry pleaded

"Tell you what; we'll give you a second test later today" Dempsey grinned

"Thanks" Fry, now dimutive in voice and stature begged "I just need practice"

"Now why don't you go along and tell Spikings that you managed to find us and that you'll come under cover with us this afternoon."

Fry ran off, Dempsey looked to Makepeace, their eyes gleamed and they both burst out laughing

"So did we do it Harry?"

"No" now she returned to her coffee to cover her fluctuating embarrassment

"You sure?" He looked at her wishing he could remember some of the action

"Well you told me that even if I were comatose, lobotomized, anaesthetised and deep frozen - if you had, I would've remembered. QED"

"I agree" he smiled

"Well you would!" she countered

"Sure"

"Sure?" she searched for his line of thought

"Sure, I still had my socks on and I never keep my socks on"

They giggled again.

"Oh shit my head" Dempsey felt the pain that had been pushed back surge fully into the present. Harry raised her hand and asked the waiter for some 'paracetamol if possible'

"Were there shots on some swords?" Dempsey asked screwing his eyes up to try and find the memory and hide the beam of sunshine that had just escaped from a cloud.

"Vaguely I think – I drank them quicker than you and you did some dancing – maybe… Oh I don't know Dempsey let's sort out work."

Fry came back and offered to drive Dempsey and Makepeace back to Cork in the squad car he had been lent.

She turned to Fry "Thanks for the offer Fry, but it's my turn to drive the Porsche" Harry smiled sweetly as Fry again looked shocked – Spikings had told him there was no money to hire anything and to use local police transport. He longed to be like Dempsey.


	17. Chapter 17

Dempsey and Makepeace drove in what was a companionable silence; both nursing foul hangovers Harry concentrated on the road whilst Dempsey concentrated on nothing, not even trying to force his memory. They pulled up in the police car park at the same time as Inspector O'Malley.

"Well I see you seem to have found each other again" he observed. "I want you inside for a briefing" he noticed Makepeace about to ask for some time to go home and change "NOW" he thundered. The noise made both Dempsey and Makepeace wince as their fragile heads failed to cope; nothing escaped O'Malley's attention.

At the briefing he detailed how he wanted 24 hour observation on Hickey, Sheahan and Tierney. He would lend three of his men to the project… Harry scanned the room to see who he had brought with him, she recognised Quinn, but noted the absence of Clarissa and heaved a sigh of relief. Dempsey did likewise; he didn't need any complications now.

Dempsey spoke up "I thought this was our project"

"Combined with our co-operation and local knowledge Lieutenant." The inspector raised himself up to full stature and continued "I want you watching Hickey tonight and your partner", he looked at Harry "watching Sheahan"

"With all due respect Sir" Harry spoke up and O'Malley glared but she continued "Hickey is known to Dempsey and Sheahan knows me"

"Well you can swap Sergeant, but you can't back out just because you have a hang over" O'Malley cut in, then added "News travels fast around here"

O'Malley continued with his instructions and finally released them all.

Dempsey was grumbling to Harry about O'Malley.

"Just shut up" she interjected. "I think we need to go and get my stuff and get it all to that suite you've got booked"

Dempsey looked confused

"Currently we're not cutting much ice with O'Malley" Harry explained her reasoning "I think we need to match our original undercover role, show him that we can do good police work and work as a team"

"I'll sleep on the sofa" Dempsey offered

"I rather think we're sleeping rough tonight around Klonakilty" Harry pointed out

"Unfortunately" Dempsey mumbled to himself; he turned to Makepeace "Let's go and collect your stuff, then we can finally get a shower and some clean clothes."

"And some more headache pills" Harry added noting also that Dempsey had made no suggestive inference regarding the shower.

"Hey Dempsey!" Fry finally had found Dempsey and came running up "Where do you suggest I stay?"

"I know just the place" Harry smiled at him. Fry loved it when Makepeace was kind to him. He was always a bit unsure about Dempsey, sometimes Dempsey brought him a pint and was fine then another time he was taking the mick, and now Spikings had told him not to keep tabs on Dempsey at all times, but not why.

Harry explained where the hotel was that she was vacating and suggested Fry to get a lift there with Quinn. She thought they were very alike. There would be enough time for her to clear out of there and move in with Dempsey before Fry attempted to book in.

Back at the Rochestown Park Hotel she looked around the suite Dempsey had taken. As she hung some of her clothes she was left wondering about the previous night and if they both so obviously wanted the same would it be so wrong? She tried to remember kissing Dempsey but without Fry's description she would still be clueless so instead she sat on the bed and waited for Dempsey to come out of the shower and tried to work out where Tierney, Hickey and Sheahan connected.

"Let's get dinner here before we go back to the station" Dempsey shouted to Harry as she showered. "Who you working with tonight?"

"Some guy called Tommy Horgan, he's from round here"

"Maybe he'll bring some moonshine with him to keep you warm?"

"May be I drank too much of that last night, my head is still throbbing"

"Just don't go doing anything I wouldn't babe"

"I've told you before about that word"

"What word"

"You know" she paused, this was just winding her up "Who you with?"

"Fry"

She came out wearing a robe and towelling her hair before she dried it. She noticed the frustration on his face. "O come on, he's not that bad, in fact he comes up with some good solutions sometimes."

"He frustrates me Harry"

"Well be the bigger man and look for the good work he does"

"That's all very well for you to say"

"And for you to do" she switched the hairdryer on and pretended she could no longer hear him.

They ate and made their way to the Police Station, then set off in pairs to their watch. The night was uneventful and each pair slept in turns as the other tracked the comings and goings of their suspects.

Harry confessed to her partner about her overindulgence the previous night but given that she was so charming and complimentary about Ireland, its people and drink Horgan took the larger part of the shift allowing Harry some respite. Dempsey had no such fortune with Fry who at his worst asked what Dempsey thought were amazing questions along the lines of 'if he (Dempsey) always opened his mouth that wide when kissing' or if he (Fry) did Mr and Mrs undercover with Makepeace 'would he have to touch the Sergeant in those places too? Words literally failed Dempsey who pretended either to sleep or become so focused in on the observation that he couldn't afford to be distracted by conversation. In fact when Fry took his turn to sleep Dempsey didn't bother to wake him.

The three teams met up next morning in the town centre and compared notes, and briefed the teams taking over. O'Malley was not there so Dempsey and Makepeace took charge and left the other four to check on a couple of vehicles before they too made their way back.


	18. Chapter 18

It had been a perfect summer's week weather wise; Makepeace was driving back with the car soft top down again. The road ran along the coast and Dempsey was watching both Harry and the scenery. He wondered how come she looked so beautiful after an uncomfortable night on a stake out. Suddenly Dempsey shouted out "Whoa"

Makepeace braked hard and looked for an explanation

"I saw a beach"

"It's the coastline Dempsey"

'She's bloody good at the art of understatement' thought Dempsey "Park up a minute"

"Where?"

"Here"

"It's a main road"

"Well turn round and go back a few yards."

"We're supposed to be meeting Inspector O'Malley"

"At 5.00; we've got a bit of time spare. And anyway this is laid back Ireland, who cares."

"I do, this is my job."

"We won't be long."

Makepeace rolled her eyes and gave in, she reversed to the lay by and as Dempsey jumped out she followed him down onto the beach.

She looked at the sea lapping the shoreline, the sea was shallow and the small waves gently rippled as the sun sparkled on the water. To Harry it looked like a picture of heaven and not too dissimilar to the beaches she had described the other night when relating memories of family holidays to Dempsey. For a brief second she could see her mother run across the sand towards her and she could hear her mother laugh and say one of her favourite sayings "Live for the moment Harriet – live for this moment – you'll never have the chance again" Harry smiled and turned to see what James was up to.

Dempsey grinning mischievously had stopped by a rock and taken off his shoes and socks, he was now rolling up his trousers

"What on earth are you doing?"

"You'll see. You take your shoes off too."

"Why?" She asked as she was removing them.

"Let's walk Mrs Dempsey" he took her hand. Palm to palm his larger hand encompassed hers, just as he wished he could her whole being and they walked towards the water, feeling the sand between their toes.

"Can't you feel the sun warming your heart and the child within breaking free and finding its way out into the open?"

Harry looked at him amazed "that's a bit poetic for you Dempsey"

He was inclined to agree but wisely decided not to risk being distracted by it "You're not alone Harry" he laced his fingers with hers "I just wanted to make those memories live and work for you Harry"

An unknown weight lifted off her shoulders and from somewhere deep within a smile surfaced

Once they reached the waters edge Dempsey led the way along the beach, allowing the water to lap over their ankles.

"It's funny" she paused unsure about revealing her inner imagination but the feel of his fingers intertwined with hers combined with her dream and the words of her mother all encouraged her on "I imagined I saw my mother just now"

"What was she doing?"

"Running, laughing…"

Dempsey pulled Makepeace by the hand and started to run. The sea splashed up as they ran through the waves; it caught Dempsey's trousers and one leg started to fall down and get damp. Harry looked down and laughed at Dempsey as he tried to rescue it. Dempsey's eyes caught a glimpse of Makepeace standing next to him in the sea – they followed her legs up from her ankles to her skirt hemline - 'boy she had divine legs' he thought.

Their fingers reached out until they found each other again. They held hands in a light lock and as the sun shone down on them they started to walk again.

"So" ventured Dempsey

"So what?"

"So are you relieved, like last time?"

"Last time?" Harry had no idea where Dempsey had taken their conversation

"The night you put on Annabel's sexy red dress, God I loved that dress, the back bit especially"

"The back was non existent"

"That's the bit I loved" he grinned at the memory, it was an image and sensual touch he had relived so many times. Harry had no reply so he prompted her "Our night of passion?"

Harry still really didn't know exactly what she felt – it depended on so much. She so wanted there to be something between them – something that counted, that mattered as much to Dempsey as herself "I'm not sure"

"What do you mean you're not sure?" His heart was tied in knots and he didn't know how to unravel it – he saw it as her keeping on backing off.

"Just that. What about you? Are you relieved?"

"Yes" Dempsey at least knew that much

"Oh!" Harry failed to hide her disappointment

Dempsey continued "I really enjoyed the day together"

"Me too." Harry smiled "I love Aunt May" she reflected then looked in his eye "But you're relieved we didn't?" she asked aware, but unsure why, she carried such a mixed response.

"No"

"You said you were"

"I didn't"

"I distinctly heard you say yes"

"Relieved that I didn't miss something - I ain't never not remembered" Dempsey grinned sheepishly. "Harry, thanks for coming with me on my family tree research, it was good to have you there."

"You know, I enjoyed being there, I enjoyed the Dempsey I saw there." Harry smiled

"I have got one big regret though" Dempsey raised his eyebrows as he spoke

"What?" Harry asked realising as she spoke that she had left herself vulnerable.

"Well apparently not only can I barely remember the Céilidh bit but apparently I had a hot chick, undoing my shirt and I have no recall at all. Fry, it seems, knows more than either of us!"

Harry looked away embarrassed and turned back towards their start point


	19. Chapter 19

Dempsey looked ahead and saw that soon this magical moment was going to run out. He felt he was making all the running but he couldn't afford to regret 'losing the one that got away'. This Ireland thing was supposed to give him the now or never opportunity and he needed to know if he and Harry had a chance else he had some serious decisions to make. He threw his arm around her shoulder.

"So what's your ideal date Sergeant?" he asked as he turned and walked along side her

"October 25th"

"I kinda didn't mean that sort of date Harry" he ran his fingers through his hair

Harry felt a rush of excitement - he wanted to talk dates but she didn't want to seem over eager "Sorry" she turned to him "soft, from the Middle East and if possible Tabical variety"

Dempsey groaned, she wasn't making it easy – was that deliberate he wondered and/or a bad sign. He was thinking of where to go with the fresh vs. dried date thing when his mind flip back and he suddenly asked "So what's so special about the 25th October?"

"That's my birthday Dempsey"

That he didn't know that unsettled him.

"What's yours?" she asked

"20th April"

"No favourite date" she knew his birthday; it had involved a long night at the Bramcote Arms.

"4th Thursday in November"

"Funny date" she remarked

"Last time I was home was 29 November 1984" Dempsey knew it exactly, "this year it's 27th November" he explained

"What is?"

"Thanksgiving"

"That's American right?"

"You know I think I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas" his mind was back in time "the family get together, hang out together, eat a turkey dinner and have a great laugh…"

"Tell me about it" Harry invited him and as they wandered along the waters edge he did. It sounded fun, it sounded like a family bonded together but Makepeace heard a longing in his voice, the missing of his family, a homesickness he no longer was forced to endure and she wondered again if it would be cruel to cage him in London.

Suddenly Harry found herself frustrated, she hadn't meant to divert the conversation that much, after all it was the one question she wanted answering: did Dempsey think they were dating or not and did she think he would maybe ask her soon? Was this his game or his dream? The more she had contemplated the question last night when she was awake on the stake out, the more she considered his behaviour lately the more she had convinced herself he was at least trying to make some sort of statement.

Dempsey could see their shoes ahead on the beach and as he led Harry towards them away from the waters edge across the sand James took hold of her hand again.

"I've got some things I need answering" Harry blurted out. Like Dempsey earlier Harry saw the distance to their destination closing down and the opportunity with it.

"Like what?" Dempsey was nervous as soon as Harry was questioning he feared the worst

Harry steeled herself, she found this hard "So are we undercover at the moment?" she asked

"It's funny that" Dempsey started "I can so clearly remember telling Fry"

"Dempsey!"

"I wish I could remember the moments before and after"

"I wish you would answer my question" Harry was frustrated

"Which was?"

Makepeace sighed resignedly and considered whether it was better just to enjoy the moment for what it was than explore deeper and find disappointment.

"You know I like doing undercover with you Harry, this one especially"

"Me to" she glanced sideways coyly "but is this" she tilted their joined hands and looked down at them then back into his eyes "undercover?"

"Never let the cover slip – that's what I told Fry…"

Harry released her fingers in disappointment, her fears had been met and her hopes dissipated. She started to regret that she had let Dempsey undress her.

"You never know who might be watching" Dempsey had continued but realised that was the wrong answer as Harry's fingers disengaged his. Had she not heard him when he said he liked this undercover with her? – He had thought the meaning quite clear!

James turned to see where her hand was and reached out for it "I can't see anybody watching us now Sergeant" he spoke so softly that Harry felt hope rise and confusion stir – he still hadn't answered her question – well not to her satisfaction.

As he took her hand back in his hand his thumb rubbed her knuckles - his touch was speaking a different language and whether out of understanding or yearning she took his meaning to be positive.

"I'd like to do this more" he murmured

"What undercover?" Harry asked

"Walking with you" he looked at their hands "like this" Suddenly he knew he had to prolong the moment – it couldn't stop yet they were on the verge of sorting things out.


	20. Chapter 20

"You wanna go for a swim?" Dempsey asked suddenly

"When?"

"Now" he suggested hopefully

"We've not got any stuff" Harry pointed out

"You don't need any"

"Trust me Dempsey yes you do"

"Trust me sergeant you don't"

"This is a public beach"

"And we're the only ones here, look just slip off your clothes" he realised she never would "– leave some on if you want, after we can sit on that huge rock and let the sun dry us."

"If you want to swim I'll sit on the rock and watch you" Harry offered

"It's not quite like the white beach of the Caribbean I know" he wanted this to be together, else there was no point.

"Dempsey give me your shirt and trousers and I'll go sit on the rock."

They reached the place where their shoes were next to each other in pairs.

"It'll be more fun together, come on, just slip that skirt and blouse off, you can put them on after." He begged

Harry looked round and smiled. "We should book ourselves a proper holiday." Dempsey agreed "may be we could go to that island off Africa."

"You mean Mauritius."

"White sand, blue sea" he looked at her "hot sex?"

"Dempsey I'm not going on holiday with you so you can pick up a different girl every night."

"I wasn't thinking of picking up anyone sergeant."

She blushed, she liked the idea but because she knew the reality of Dempsey and women and being so scared he wouldn't commit she replied "that's so not going to happen."

Dempsey felt disheartened; here she was again giving out such mixed signals – what the hell was he meant to think? Harry tried to read his face ~ maybe he had meant it. Damn! She started to talk about their Caribbean holiday. Soon they were laughing at their reminiscences and they were both flirting by teasing each other.

"So how about that swim?" Dempsey ventured again

"Are you suggesting we go skinny dipping?"

"I have underwear on don't you"

Makepeace thought of her lace bra and briefs. She had packed her sexiest and most expensive. "Mine was designed to reveal rather than cover up" she admitted with a slight flush rising up over her cheeks

He looked at the sea and felt the hot sun. "There's only you and me here babe"

"I'm not ruining my clothes and I'm not going naked and someone might come!"

That she was wearing sexy underwear hadn't got passed Dempsey, he had also noticed that she blushed whenever he called her Mrs Dempsey. "Well Mrs Dempsey" he whispered "you can wear my vest". He unbuttoned his shirt pulling it out from his trousers. Harry couldn't remember agreeing to anything but before she could open her mouth he handed her his vest and started on his belt. Harry looked up and down the beach and at Dempsey stepping out of his trousers, "Well looks like I'll race you into the sea" he said

'O what the hell' she thought. The sun was already making her hot again, she took off her blouse and Dempsey agreed in his head that such a bra would do very little for maintaining dignity but it certainly did rather a lot for him. She put the vest on and removed her bra from underneath. Dempsey was amazed at how women could do such things. He waited, her skirt came off and she ran ahead of him into the sea. As if shell shocked to see Harry in his vest with some lacy briefs he stood there until the splash of her dive pulled him back to reality, he swam out to her and dived to grab her ankles.

"Oh no you don't" she also dived again and they spent the next quarter of an hour messing around in the sea.

Always the practical one, Harry suddenly realised she had no idea of the time "We'd better get back" she pointed out

"If you say so boss!" Dempsey was forced to admit time had probably run out. "Let's sit over there and dry off first" he pointed to their destination at the end of the beach

Makepeace scrutinized the large smooth rock; she sat down first, leaning back on her elbows facing Dempsey as he followed her up the beach. He looked appreciatively at the wet t shirt effect- his vest clinging to her breasts and showing all their form and shape. "Am I allowed to say that your body is perfect?" he asked as he came to sit next to her

Makepeace looked from the sky to him expecting to see a leering smile but she saw all seriousness on his face.

"No" she replied "you shouldn't be looking" she turned to lie on her front but Dempsey noticed the satisfied grin on her face: he contented himself to look at the vest just covering her behind and her perfectly shaped legs. They let the sun beat down starting to dry them. Without thinking Dempsey ran his finger lightly down her leg, from her thigh to her knee. "Am I allowed to say your legs are perfect?"

Harry wanted to say yes, she certainly couldn't bring herself to say no, so she started to talk about the case instead. Dempsey traced the trickles of water running down her leg with his finger; he didn't hear a word of what Harry was saying.

"Dempsey!"

He shook himself out of the trance he had been in "Yeh"

"I asked you…." She realised he hadn't been listening and sighed "We're meeting with O'Malley soon" she reprimanded "and you haven't hear a word of my summary about Shehan and Fitzwilliam"

Dempsey grinned, he wasn't surprised – well only that she had lain there for so long without objecting – that was a surprise. She wriggled and he lifted his finger. Her hand reached back and lifted the wet vest off her skin, as if trying to gauge how much drier it had got or to at least stop it sticking so firmly to her skin.

Dempsey waited expecting the whole event to come to an abrupt end any moment but Harry laid back down mumbling that "there was time enough yet". Dempsey watched her, he anticipated her legs crossing and instructions to find his own rock but instead his eyes open wide as she manoeuvred her body over the rock to the left slightly increasing her closeness to him and parted her legs wider. Another wiggle of her bottom and Dempsey could not believe the invitation. Her words might sometimes confuse him but here her body was shouting acceptance of him and his advances.

His full hand returned to the back of her leg, just above her knee and cruised up her leg and around her inner thigh. She jiggled slightly and once again he expected her to close his approach off but she didn't. He moved himself closer and revelled in the feel of her skin and the curve of leg.


	21. Chapter 21

Dempsey looked up and around checking that they were alone

He lowered himself to half height and ran his hand up under the wet vest.

"You know you'd dry quicker without this on" he whispered and started to edge the hem upwards, he could feel the coolness of her back as he inched his way up it. He had dreamt of moments like this, he thought about pinching himself to check he wasn't dreaming now but that would mean taking his hand off Harry and there was no way that was going to happen.

As the curve of her waist came into view he trailed off to explore that still totally disbelieving of the acceptance lying before him.

Harry stopped talking as she contemplated turning back over and all that would imply. She could remember some of the Céilidh, she could remember plenty of that first dance at the summer ball, the white rose on her pillow and his words just now about holding her hand. She also knew exactly how much he'd come to mean to her. His attentions were a delight to her, she could feel his hand moving up her body – that he really did want her was amazingly reassuring. Could she make love on an Irish beach she wondered? At least she would remember it! Her body was beginning to have no doubt - her breathing shallowed and a different kind of warmth spread across her body as she felt his touch run around her waist. She hoisted herself ever so slightly so his hand could follow the curve underneath to her belly.

Dempsey felt the fire start to burn within; what had started as an unthinking reaction to touch her body had now aroused a desire that all the signs indicated would be fulfilled. He gazed from her ankles back up her legs and studied the lace making the curves of her bottom all the more appealing. His left arm was still supporting him as his right caressed and thrilled at the curve of her waist and softness of her skin.

"Harry you have a beautiful body" he whispered as he moved his hand back to run up her spine "but I've got to tell you Harry there's a whole lot more that's beautiful about you, so much about you that wakes me up…"

Dempsey intended to say a lot more before anything else happened and he made a mental commitment not to rush or push anything. He would use his mouth, firstly to tell of, and then to demonstrate his feelings for her.

Every word was music to Harry's ears however she wanted to look at his face as he spoke; on the matter of a kiss that could well lead to much more she had made her decision and wondered if when the moment came she would have to reach up and pull James towards her or whether he would read her eyes and lips and lean down and kiss her. She turned over; some what unexpectedly Dempsey felt his hand brush her breasts and the thrill shot though him like a thunderbolt - his eyes fixed on her blue eyes looking up at him. The unforeseen touch also sparked more desire in Harry - her lips parted and as James lowered himself she put her arms around his shoulders then up through his hair to hold the back of his head as she guided him onto her. His eyes glowed at the sight and feel of her – the telling / speaking bit was postponed until later!

Milliseconds before their mouths met there was a thud of footsteps - someone running on the beach. Dempsey glanced up again and saw Fry hurrying towards them; he groaned in utter disbelief and jerking up away from Harry picked up his shirt to put on. Harry sat up and turned around.

Fry had the benefit of a full frontal repeat of the wet t-shirt; his eyes were on stalks again. Harry noticed his expression and grabbed Dempsey's shirt out of his hands and threw it across herself.

"What the hell?" Dempsey had stood up in his jockey shorts.

"Spikings made me promise…" Fry wasn't allowed to finish in one swoop Dempsey picked up his trousers aware that he had evidence to hide as well; he dislodged Harry's clothes in the process. Harry grabbed her bra as it flew towards the sand.

"We're coming" Dempsey sounded aggravated, Fry stood there like a lemon.

"For god's sake let us get dressed!" Harry was likewise incensed. Fry was glued to the spot staring at them both.

"Fry go and wait by the car" Dempsey clarified what Harry had meant. Jolted into action Fry moved.

Harry didn't know if she was mortified because they were interrupted or that Fry had seen them together again or because of his wide eyed stare at her body. She decided it was more of the latter than anything else – bloody Fry had seen her all but naked! His interruption she thought was the most unjust occasion in the world but in the light of previous events it had to be seen as ironic and the humour of it started to make her smile.

Dempsey too thought the Gods were against him and trying to tell him something but the endorphins running riot around his body made him chuckle.

"You never know when someone might be watching" Harry quoted and they burst out laughing

"These ain't dry yet" Dempsey moaned.

Harry grinned wickedly "well take them off"

"No looking" he said as he turned away but Harry's eyes remained fixed on his bare bum. She smiled appreciatively. He turned back to take his shirt

"Oh No" she said "I'll bring it up to the car when I'm dressed now off you go."

At the car Fry spoke first "never stop the role"

He did seem to be so bloody innocent Dempsey thought and such a pain.

"How did you get here Fry?" Dempsey asked

"I was in the patrol car when I saw your car so I got them to drop me off"

Dempsey scrunched his mouth, smiled a few times then asked "so how you getting back?"

"I thought with you" his voice dropped, Fry knew that there was something wrong.

"This one's a two seater sunshine" Dempsey pointed out with great delight.

Just at that moment Harry arrived; she threw Dempsey his shirt and as he slipped it on they both got into the car.

"Have a nice walk" Dempsey called as he started the engine

Harry looked at James with her chin down and eyes raised. "Ok" Dempsey relented "We'll stop at a phone box and get someone to pick you up" he shouted to Fry as he spun the wheels and drove off laughing out loud.

They had their meeting with O'Malley at 5.00pm. The rest of the day was free, the 24 hour observation was still in progress and a time set for picking up Tierney at 12.00 noon the next day. Dempsey and Makepeace left the police station.

"Well I guess we'll be flying back to London very soon." Dempsey looked at Harry as he spoke.

"Ah hum" Harry guessed that he wanted to say something

"I'm not going home with no memory of my kiss"

"Your problem, not mine" she pointed out

"I seem to remember…"

"I thought the problem was you couldn't"

"It is my understanding that you can't remember that part of the night either" Dempsey argued

"Nothing we can do about that" Harry countered

"I thought dinner, champagne…" Dempsey felt instantly so very exposed and vulnerable

"We never did finish discussing what I felt about the situation" Harry thought that sounded much harsher than she had intended.

"You weren't exactly resisting me on the beach" he was almost back to defending his position

"You see men always make assumptions"

Dempsey was thwarted, he refrained from saying that women always misled; Harry smiled though "Let's do a little star gazing tonight after dinner; and it had better be pink champagne" she teased him with her eyes and almost stepped up to him to kiss his mouth


	22. Chapter 22

"Golden dates! That's what my mom used to buy on special occasions like thanksgiving." They were finishing dinner in the hotel restaurant "and my grandfather he liked the other ones they also grew in California – they were more the dry dates" Dempsey rattled his head as he tried to think "'the sweet' that's what pop used to call them – I looked them up once um" he hung his head as he thought Hawaii no but similar "Halawi" he said with some triumph.

Harry stretched her hand across the table reaching towards Dempsey's and decided to go for gold "Actually I dreamed of a date where I after the dancing stopped I stood outside in the warm summers night and my man wrapped his arm around me whilst we watched the stars, then he called me his princess before kissing me so sweetly and gently." She looked at him for his reaction; Dempsey looked acutely embarrassed and Harry panicked that she'd got it wrong.

Dempsey had been edgy all night; once he'd changed for dinner he'd left Harry to shower and dress suggesting meeting up in the hotel bar. Over dinner he'd looked at her – just looked at her – often not eating or speaking – both of which he was usually first class at and Harry couldn't fathom it out. Randomly he'd snap back to the present and crack jokes about Spikings going through their expenses and such things but he'd kept everything work related until the sudden and unexpected diversion back onto dates.

The wine waiter approached Dempsey and whispered something in his ear. Dempsey thanked him and turned back to Harry "You still interested in some stargazing partner?" he asked with a tremor in his voice that unnerved Harry. He stood and she followed suit enabling him to lead her out to where his car had been brought round to the front of the hotel. He opened the passenger door for her but Harry stopped before she got in and laughed nervously "pink champagne and it's a date!" she bargained.

Dempsey moved the champagne bottle and glasses to allow her to sit "Pink Champagne" he confirmed as he held the bottle "but it ain't a date unless you've been asked out"

Confusion swirled around Harry and she felt so afraid she'd got it all wrong; she thought she had been asked – well in a Dempsey way at least. Feeling more nervous than a 14year old on her first date she sat in the car and the silence was tense.

James' stomach was tied up in a hundred knots but he wanted to do this properly, he wanted to tell her that she was the love of his life, that he wanted them to date properly. He wanted to ask that they could share their days together, their evenings and leisure – like they did now but to get to understand how they each really felt and to kiss, to cuddle; that their touching would be an expression of their desires and affection and in time to spend their nights together as well. And he wanted to tell her, like he started to before, that she was beautiful, that her smile was like the sunshine that broke through the clouds. He loved the joy that danced in her eyes and he wished he could bottle the scent that was her and carry it with him. That her touches and caresses melted him and he never wanted to leave the comfort of her arms, that to walk along the beach with her had been a taste of heaven. He realised he would never remember the half of it yet he wanted to tell her all of it and he didn't know what to say first

Dempsey placed the blanket on the ground; he opened the champagne and filled the two glasses. "Are you ready to do a little star gazing Mrs Dempsey he asked? Let me show you". He lay down on his back looking up at the sky then immediately sitting back up he took Makepeace by her hand and she allowed herself to be guided down. They sipped their champagne as a diversion from not knowing what to say or do. "We have to lay flat to get the best views" Dempsey finally ventured and so Harry lay at 90 degrees to him with her head on his chest and looked up at the stars. She felt Dempsey's fingers run through her hair. May be, just may be tonight would be the night. She could feel his heart beat.

"James" she ventured actually wondering whose heart was thumping

"Harry...." he whispered back softly and twisted a few strands of her hair around his finger as he tried to get the next words out

When the silence had hung for too long Harry cut back in "So how many stars can you name?" she asked looking up into the sky - they seemed to be appearing thick and fast as her eyes got used to the dark.

"Just some of the bigger and brighter ones. It was never this dark in New York."

Dempsey pointed out some stars and she followed his instructions with her eyes as she sorted them out. Then she got lost, there were so many bright stars she couldn't work out which he meant. She moved to lie right next to him so she saw the same angle as him and could follow his line of sight as he pointed up. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulling her right into him showed her a few more. Simultaneously as he let his arm drop and just hold her Harry nestled herself into his neck ~ they fell silent, both aware how naturally they could anticipate each others mood. For the first time that night they relaxed into each other.

Once again Harry spoke first "you learnt to use the stars in Vietnam I guess"

"Yeh but that's not where I learnt to love them - he fell silent.

Harry let the silence rest a while then spoke gently "you remembering now"

"Yeh"

"Were they good times?"

"Yeh"

Harry was worried again as to whom he might be thinking off.

Dempsey solved her problem "we used to sit on the back step, half way down and watch for a long time that way you could see the most stars. The New York city lights mean far fewer stars show up."

"With Simone?" she ventured

Dempsey shook his head.

'O God' thought Harry how many lovers? His mind was still far away Harry prompted him "Dempsey?"

"I was 9 or 10 ~ my mum got me a book from the library" Harry found his hand and squeezed it. He painted a picture with his words and Harry felt honoured to be there. He fell silent again then in the silence turned raising himself up slightly on to his side, leaning on his left elbow and looked at Harry. Feeling his eyes on her Harry raised herself squarely to the ground with both arms supporting her. Their eyes locked onto each other and began a cycle of gazing, searching, hoping… "You and me ~" James started the conversation that was the aim of the evening "we have such a great friendship ~ I don't want to loose that"

Harry agreed "me neither - the trouble is" she added "I'm not sure if things can stay still ~ you know the stuff about if something's not moving forwards it's dying" How could their fantastic friendship die she wondered; surely that would never happen.

When he had very first arrived in the UK she had been torn between his looks and sexuality and his arrogance, impertinence and out right rudeness. Then she hated his violence in the police cell but loved the gentleness he could display like when he gave big Ben his NYPD badge and also when Sarah was killed. Time had passed and they had gradually become the best partners in work (instinctively they knew each others moves) and best friends out of work with a fantastic understanding about tastes in film, theatre, alcohol, dancing together and even chinese take aways! And sexually? Well they both flirted and both, both what? Both played at the boyfriend / girlfriend thing without giving any indication that it meant anything - they both still held deep secrets and buried hopes and unfulfilled desires.

"We're great together Harry"

"Apart from when we're fighting" she pointed out

"Well some of that's pretty hot baby"

"Well they say hate joins the circle to love" Harry reflected

"I never want us to hate ~ we've had such good times together" Dempsey brushed her fringe away

"You and me at work" Harry reached up and brushed his cheek

"At parties"

"And picnics"

"On the beach"

"Drinking champagne"

"Under the stars"

Knowing how close to declaring his love he was and how scared he still was of rejection Dempsey found himself postponing the moment by going back to the stars "You get the same view in New York as London" he explained

"Will you go back?" Harry was scared of the answer

"I have to go for the trial when ever that happens"

"And after?" could she love him enough to release him back to New York? That was what true love did on the films at the cinema, she prayed she wouldn't be put in that position.

'And after' he contemplated, 'depends on you Harry' he thought.

Harry remembered that longing she heard in his voice when he talked about his childhood, his family, Thanksgiving. She felt the pull from across the ocean and took the silence to mean that he would go back- he just didn't know how to tell her. She lay back on her back looking up swallowing hard to stop a scream of despair emanating from her mouth. Disappointment surged through her and she wanted to be sick – she had just started to live a nightmare that she could never wake up from.


	23. Chapter 23

Dempsey was unaware of Harry's mood change as he dug deep to tell her his feelings.

Do you remember that song 'Gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over'?" he knew the words off by heart he had played it so often.

Harry heard the words with alarm; she went cold with the shock. She steeled herself and tried to keep the tears from her face. Everything that she had convinced herself of was wrong – the signs had been pointing in a different direction. Either that or something had happened to cause the catastrophic turnabout. If she hadn't been lying down she would have collapsed – the bottom had fallen out of her world. No wonder he'd been so quiet.

Dempsey on the other hand was thinking how appropriate the next lyrics about 'reading between the lines' were. There was plenty that had given him hope: her touches and caresses, kisses even and he could still almost feel her fingers tracing his face whilst they had listen to the orchestra at that picnic. Walking with her on the beach, her reaction when she didn't know if they'd slept together, her invitation in response to his advances….

"Dempsey Makepeace" Dempsey's heart sank. Fry! Ever since he had appeared Fry had been keen to keep him in his sight saying something incoherent about Spikings. On that basis he had told him where they would be, supposing it the most certain way to keep him out of their way. Now he regretted it. He stood up "Fry you've done it again ~ there is no Makepeace here"

Fry stopped a moment taken off guard, as Harry stood to join Dempsey she spoke with a voice of ice The cover, Fry, is Dempsey Mr and Mrs - no Makepeace "

"Sorry I forgot in the rush" Fry sounded proud, as if he knew something…

Harry went mad "YOU CAN NEVER FORGET FRY, NEVER - YOU JUST CAN'T DO UNDER COVER AND YOU NEVER WILL - EVER"

The cover is Dempsey Mr and Mrs' the phrase started to rebound with increasing ferocity in Harry's mind, then as the phrases over lapped each other all she could hear screaming at her was 'the cover - the cover'. Like a horror film the words formed into flying monsters and flew at her from all directions at once bombarding, attacking and destroying her dream. The image of her and James walking on the beach that afternoon, holding hands, playing in the sea, lips so close to touching exploded like a mirror shattering into a thousand shards. Other thoughts shouted round Harry's head: never again would she be able to do undercover like this with Dempsey, in fact how was she ever going to work with him again? He truly had become her best friend and now in the risk of gaining more she had lost everything.

Fry felt flattened but continued "There's a message from Spikings Dempsey has been summoned by the Coltrane case." He turned directly to Dempsey "A car is waiting to take you now back to Dublin so you can get the 6am flight to Heathrow and the 9am on to New York." he stood back his message delivered.

Dempsey and Makepeace stood shell shocked and Fry waited for Dempsey to move. "Fry that is a poor joke. The only reason I told you where I would be was to keep you away NOW FOR F**** SAKE GO."

Fry looked bemused "That's the message ~ the driver is waiting. Someone packed your bags they're in the boot."

Suddenly Dempsey realised this was real, he turned and started to walk Harry out of sight

"Dempsey?" Fry seemed to have no idea, he was about to repeat his top priority message.

Dempsey blew "I WILL BE THERE IN 5 MINUTES CONSTABLE! NOW IF YOU DO NOT GIVE US SOME SPACE YOU WILL BE WAKING UP IN HOSPITAL AND AS I WON 'T BE IN THE COUNTRY I WON 'T HAVE TO FACE ANY CONSEQUENCES."

Finally fry got the message and backed away. Dempsey pulled Harry into him and they held each other very tightly.

Harry knew the moment she released her arms they would part forever and she desperately tried to delay that moment for as long as possible. Dempsey held her; he didn't want to let go of her – ever! He hadn't told her anything yet and he had so much to tell her and no words would come out of his mouth. He held her tighter and tighter – the tightness a measure of how very much he wanted her – so much so that her ribs were in danger of breaking.

"Well princess looks like things have started to roll." The only words he could speak were factual ones

Hearing him call her 'Princess' Harry gave up any idea of self control she just sobbed. This was the end. Now he had the time he had just spoken about time to think things over. He brushed her tears. "Harry these are the car keys" he put then in her hand then held her tight. He kissed her cheek and tasted the saltiness of her tears "Harry I've no idea how long" she felt his tears mingle with hers but he continued to talk "Harry you do know you are the only reason I ever stayed. Only, always for you… for us" he noticed movement in the distance and kissing the tears running down her cheeks he walked away. Harry sat down paralysed with the shock.

As Dempsey walked past Fry he stared ahead and spoke in monotone – it was the only way he could keep any control over his body and mind both of which were about to explode into a myriad of desolate pieces. "Fry get in the car with me we'll drop you off as we go past the hotel."

"But" Fry looked across into the shadows hiding Makepeace from his sight

"The sergeant will be fine. She'll drive back and you will not contact her until you see her in the office" never having heard Dempsey quite like that Fry did as he said.

Inside the car Dempsey buried his head in his hands and let his tears fall silently. He didn't move or speak when Fry got out of the car. Fry suddenly felt that Dempsey may never speak to him again. Dempsey's tears streamed down his cheeks into his hands and soaked the sleeves of his shirt. He was grateful it was some distance to the airport. His eyes were red and sore before he got onto the plane to New York; at least when he got off the yanks assumed it was jet lag.

Eventually Harry made her way back to the hotel. She lay on the bed and smelt Dempsey on the pillow: This must be the first time she had ever been dumped before she'd even been asked on a date! And it was the only time in her life that it really mattered, that she never wanted to recover from. She cried and sobbed and when the pillow was soaked she tossed it aside and cried into the next one. When the tears failed she simple cried without them until as the sun rose she slept out of exhaustion.

Late next morning Makepeace pulled her professional face together and went into the office. At noon they pulled Tierney successfully and arranged for his deportation to the UK .

**yes this is the end of this story**

**yes it will continue**


End file.
